No One Mourns the Wicked
by Lady-Kinsei
Summary: Updated! At the epitome of Sesshoumaru's desires, he calls out to Jesira with his heart and gives a dangerous confession. Inuyasha's anger with his brother grows deeper and deeper, while Kagome is lost in her own thoughts. What will they do? R&R or DIE!
1. Prologue: The Eager Child

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any Inuyasha characters, and if I did, I wouldn't be wasting my time on vv

**Summary:** It's a prologue, dude! Just read it! lol Well, this is just my little shot at a long story with Sesshoumaru as the star player! Basically, I find that there is _no_ girl that naturally exists in the Inuyasha world that could match for Sesshoumaru, especially not frickin Kagura or Kagome--two opposite extremes...besides, I find that Kagome really has very little personality--you know, nothing really that stands out about her? dodges rotten veggies from Kagome lovers Anyhow, since no one really seems to fit our gold-eyed beauty, so I dedided to make one up! By the way, if you're a fan of the book/musical **Wicked/**"Wicked", you'll LOOOOOOVE this story! Anyhow, enjoy!

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"Snuggle in tight, sweetie, it's going to be a cold night," said Mama, in that strange language she called English, that only she spoke. Nobody else in all of Nihon or Papa's lands ever spoke the strange language--sometimes, Sesshige even wondered if it was a real language at all. He understood it perfectly, of course, which was always a fun thing, to have a secret language. Papa spoke it a little, too, but hardly ever did. Then again, Sesshige thought, Papa never said much of anything.

"Why is there so much snow, Mama?" asked Sesshige.

"Well, Nihon is a country of the Northern half of the earth, and that means that it's colder than the southern. After all, snow is only a very cold rain," said Mama, letting her long black curls fall down to her back. Mama was sort of funny-looking to many other people in Nihon--it was because of her eyes, perhaps... The eyes of Nihongo people were slanted and dark, like the sleek eyes of a cat, and Mama's eyes were big and bright, and the most curious shade of brown, like the earth itself with big full eyelashes. The hair of the Nihongo was long and sleek, like sheets of black, and Mama's hair was black too, but it was so full and light with big curls and ringlets, almost like nighttime clouds. Nihongo faces were round and sort of pale yellow, and Mama's face was sort of...well, she was pale too, but not yellow, and not round... Her face was elegant with high cheekbones, a gentle smile, and with a more of an oval shape...her chin was slightly pointed and yet so delicate. Mama was positively ugly to the Nihongos, but no one dared say anything, because Papa would kill them for speaking badly about his wife.

Mama looked very different from the Nihongo women, especially when she dressed like them. Many Nihongo girls and women looked conservative, elegant, like columns, straight and lean linear figures... Mama was curvier, with a full breast and tiny waist that curved out with her hips. Mama was taller than most of the women, as well. The Nihongo girls merely looked tall because of how thin they were, but Mama practically towered a full head over them, even though she said that she wasn't very much taller than the girls from her home. Yes, she was definately different from the long lines of women Sesshige had seen about, especially because Mama had no qualms about showing her legs or figure, with funny clothes... Pants and blouses and dresses, she called them... They were from a different time, as was Mama, or so she said. Sesshige thought, however, like so many others, that Mama was a Seer with many magical books to tell her of future things. She called it history, but that's not what history meant, especially when it happened just as she said it. Sesshige loved Mama very much, and Papa loved her too.

"How come?" Sesshige asked as Mama tucked him deep into his big bed, lined with fine silks and pillows.

"Well," Mama said, "once, a very long time ago, there were no islands and no mainlands...just one big continent. _Everything_ was connected...and then the time came when the earth cracked and broke off into the many islands and other big mainlands... And Japan--or Nihon--just happened to float off into the Northern part of the world."

Japan... Such a funny-sounding word, Sesshige thought. Nihon was a much better name for their land; it sounded much better, sort of like the sound of mountains.

"You mean our land is like a big boat?" Sesshige asked, sitting up.

Mama laughed and tucked him in tight. "Yes, in a way... only it moves too slow for us to feel or notice. It only moves about an issun a year!" She held her fingers about three inches apart to show what she meant.

"Is it moving now?"

Mama nodded. "Hai, right now... Now go to sleep." She kissed him on the forehead.

"But I'm not sleepy!" whined Sesshige, reaching for Mama's black curls with his white hands.

Mama laughed. "Sesshi-kun, it's late, and it's snowy, and you need your rest..."

"Will you tell me a story?"

She smirked, her full lips a little chapped from the cold. "Well... I guess one story won't hurt... I can't think of any Japanese ones, so how about an American one, hmm?"

American--that's where Mama was from: America. Mind you, Sesshige had no idea where this 'America' place was, nor did he intend to find out, as he would have to sail far off near the edge of the earth!

"What kind of American stories are there?"

"Oh, plenty..." she said, thinking. "'Beauty and the Beast,' 'Hansel and Gretel,' 'The Little Mermaid,' 'Pretty Woman...' Take your pick!"

"Tell me the story of how you and Papa met."

She sighed, half-exhausted, half-laughing, flopping her hair over the side of the bed. "Not tonight, my little love," she said, sitting back up.

"But you _always_ say not tonight! Yes you do!" Sesshige sat up and pouted. "Please, Mama? When _can_ I hear it? When? I'll _never_ hear it--ever! Please?"

She sighed. "It's a long story, sweetie..." This was said with a gentle smile, as well as a gentle stroke of Sesshige's silvery hair. "And I mean looooong."

"Please?"

Mama laughed a little, leaning her forehead into her palm. "Well... Tell you what, I'll just tell the story until you fall asleep, and then we'll pick up tomorrow night, ne?"

Sesshige nodded and got comfortable, Mama leaning down and lying beside him.

"All right... I suppose the best way to start would be America."

"America?"

"Oh, yes! America is where I came from, and America is where I first found the keys."

"Keys?"

Mama nodded. "Yes. There are all sorts of keys, and this key was a very special kind of key, as it had come from my grandmother, who just happened to be a native of Japan. You see, when she was a little girl, she flew all the way across the seas on the back of a great steel bird to America, the Land of Opportunity. With her, however, she brought a special key, in which was embedded a purple gem, called the Shikkon Jewel...

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Wow! That was cool... Just a little teaser till I finish chapter one--R&R PLEASE! MWAH!  
--Kinsei 


	2. Chapter One: Sandwich of Doom

**Disclaimer: **I hate repeating myself... DAMN YOU BANDAI!

**Summary:** Chapter one of my loverly story... aren't you happy? dodges Kagome-lover tomatoes hehe... ; Anyhow, we now meet Jesira, the loverly heroine of our tale--who LOVES to sing and is living in San Fran with her parents and Japanese grandmother, who carries a part of the Shikkon Jewel and--oh, well... you'll find out soon enough! BTW, some things may seem a TAD OOC for some people and might be a little odd, but I'm sort of stabbing in the dark on a few things, you know? Basically, I really want to emphasize that this is a HUGE culture shock to our girl, and now she has to adjust to a whole new time and country with a language she barely speaks! Augh! What is a girl to do? But how did she get there? Is she stuck? Why is Sesshoumaru wearing eyeshadow? ... . ... . ... aaaaanyway! On with the tale!

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**Chapter One  
Ënter, Stage Now**

Jesira was a beautiful girl, both inside and out, as many good girls are. She liked music, and loved to dance--in fact, Jesira was training to become a Broadway star, and had been dancing ballet since she was four. Jesira loved to read, but didn't like to write very much; she liked science and history, and often like to throw herself into 'the void of artistic passion' and dance to various musicals, such as "Chicago", "Cats", or--her favorite one--"Wicked." She longed to play the tragic and passionate role of Elphaba Thropp, to have that _fabulous_ green skin and fly about on her magical broomstick... As you can probably tell by now, Jesira was a bit of a dramatic girl, but she had such a voice that it completely made up for her many flaws.

Every weekend, Jesira visited her grandmother, taking the Muni up through Little Tokyo to find her house. Her grandmother, Sada, was very wise, and often entertained Jesira with stories of Japan--or Nihon, as she called it--and the occasional cup of green tea. Jesira's favorite story, however, were stories of ancient demons, as well as the story of the sacred shikkon jewel shards. It was even better to hear these stories from her Grandma Sada, because she had nearly half of the jewel, embedded into a ring of silver, to wear as a pendant. Sometimes Jesira never believed the stories, as they were far too fantastic for even _her_ dramatic tastes, though she still indulged Grandma Sada, as it was the right thing to do.

On a warm sunday afternoon, Jesira was walking away from the Muni station on 16th and Church, walking up the steep San Franciscan hill towards her house. _Well,_ she would sometimes think,_ who cares? At least the park has the very best view of the city._ Every other sunday, Jesira's load would be very heavy, as she had many a dance rehearsal on these sundays, and always carried a couple of changes of clothes, some food, three pairs of shoes--one for dancing, one pair of sneakers, and one pair of black pumps just in case--her cd player with a great supply of batteries...to top it all off, she had many of her school books with her on this particular sunday, as the finals were starting that next day.It was on this particularly warm sunday afternoon, however, she was carrying an extra thing in the pocket of her backpack--and this extra little thing would change her life, in approximately five minutes.

Today, Jesira was semi-casual, with her favorite black corset top and long blue and green skirt that flowed when she walked. Jesira was straining a little today, since she knew that she'd look sort of funny wearing sneakers with this outfit, so she decided to grin and bear it with her tan platforms that looked like they were made from a woven basket.

Jesira was humming a tune as she merrily walked up the hill, and suddenly felt a bit of a tingle in the side pocket of her large backpack. Slowing for a moment, she reached back and pulled out her grandmother's pendant--the odd purple halved jewel that dangled from a strand of precious pearls.

"Waaaah!" she cried in a bit of a Japanese accent. "If Grandma sees this missing...! Oh, I've got to go back," said Jesira, to nobody in particular. She looked around nervously, seeing if the muni had already left. She knew that she had to give this back to Grandma, but if she didn't go to her little sister's birthday party that afternoon then she'd be in trouble with her parents.

"I can't go around San Francisco with this thing in my pocket..." She slipped the pearls and cracked jewel about her neck for safe keeping. "My parents will understand, right? Of course they will--respect your elders, ne?" She glanced around. "Who am I talking to?"

"Hey," came a snide voice from behind her, "those are some nice pearls ye got there..." A wise-assed teen with slicked back hair was leering at her Grandmother's pearls and jewel maliciously. "I'll bet those'd buy me a pretty penny, eh?" Two other boys came, one tall, one stocky, from each side of her. 'Dammit!' Jesira thought, 'I don't have time for this!'

With a swift uppercut to the leader's jaw and a judo sweep to the tall one on her right she bolted quickly through the part screaming "Help! Help! I'm being mugged!" The boys ran after her through the park, quickly gaining; out of the corner of her eye she saw one of them flip out a switchblade.

'Ohgodohgodohgod...!' she thought, blindly running faster. 'Think think think!' She frantically glanced around, people fleeing out of their path, a few dialing 911 on their cell phones. She came to a large picnic area and quickly jumped onto a table in attempt to give herself more momentum by jumping off of it. Out of total impulse, she closed her eyes and leapt, clutching to Grandma's necklace, screaming "Get me out of here!"

**SPLASH!**  
Gasping for air in shock, Jesira saw that she was sitting in a semi-shallow stream. She waded to the side, seeing that she was definately not in San Francisco. Where was Church Street? Where was the park? Where was that burger place called Hot N' Hunky? She looked over to her right, seeing a little Japanese girl, no more than five or six in a white kimono. She looked wide-eyed at Jesira as if she were some sort of Oni monster.  
"Sesshoumaru-sama! Sesshoumaru-sama!" she cried in Japanese, running frantically towards the woods. Suddenly, a great and glorious creature emerged from the forest, tall and regal with purple markings upon his face. Long silver hair flowed from his scalp in a river of silk. His face was fierce with a serene and silent glow to his yellow eyes, softened only by his blank expression and white fur about his left shoulder. His clothes...his clothes looked like... He was so familiar, like some great demon of Grandmother's old lore. Jesira then realized that her Grandmother's stories were not just old wives tales, but did once exist, and she was there.  
"Oh my God--am I in Japan!" Jesira shrieked. She jumped out of the water, her clothes clingy and wet to her slim body, her backpack heavy, yet thankfully waterproof. She looked down to her breast, the strange purple jewel glowing oddly. _Is this the reason I am here...?_  
The gold-eyed beauty's eyes went wide; his white hands came to reach for her breast. "Shikkon no Tama!" he cried. Out of total impulse Jesira slapped his hand away. He was shocked, and then angered, but for some reason, his anger subsided. Suddenly, a tiny toad creature came out wildly flailing his arms and shouting at Jesira.

"WAAAAAAAAHHH!" Out of total impulse she took off her shoe and threw it hard at its head.

**THUD!**  
The gold-eyed beauty suddenly began to laugh hysterically, his voice like a thousand wolves singing, as his strange toad creature twitched on the grass. The little girl began to speak to 'Lord Sesshoumaru,' as he was called, and as she did, Jesira's Japanese side began to take over, and she began to understand.

"Who is she, Lord Sesshoumaru? Is she a human?"

He looked to her, now with that serious expression upon his flawless face. "I don't know... Oi, nihongo wakarimasu ka?" Which, of course, meant 'do you understand Japanese?'

She then nodded enthusiastically. "Hai, nihongo ga chotto wakarimasu!" which meant, 'yes, I understand a little Japanese.' Standing up and wringing out her long skirt and black hair, she looked up with a smile and said, in perfect Japanese, "My name is Jesira. Er... Namae wa nan Jesira!"

"Jesira? I'm Rin!" said the little girl, peeking from behind Sesshoumaru-sama's white pants.

"Where am I?"

Sesshoumaru-sama kept on eyeing the Shikkon jewel at her breast; Jesira held to it tight. This strange gem must hold some special power--otherwise, how else could she be here? She was most definately in some sort of historical Japanese era, but when and where? She glanced around, giving a few desperate looks to Sesshoumaru-sama, and a few more to Rin in hopes that one of them could tell her how she got here and why.

The gem, she thought, Grandmother's gem...what did she call it? Shikkon no tama..? Something...But why would he want it? Is he really a demon?

"Are you a demon?" she asked suddenly.

Now she was getting a very odd look, as if he were saying, 'What, you're not afraid?'

"Inuyoukai-sama," he said, which meant 'Lord Dog Demon.' A dog demon? He certainly didn't look like a dog, she thought to herself as she eyed the tall lean creature before her, more like some strange elf from a Japanese J.R.R. Tolkein. Why was he looking at her like that...? He wanted Grandmother's jewel...he wanted what ever power it had.

The gold-eyed beauty looked up the nearby hill, his claws coming out of his long fingers even further. Jesira looked up to see a Japanese girl, about fifteen or so, dressed in modern-day clothes like she was! With her was what appeared to be a monk, a woman from that era and two more demons!

"What the...? That girl!" cried the human girl from the future. "She's not from this time either!"

"What? You mean there are _two_ portals?" said a white-haired demon with dog-like ears and strange red clothes. "Don't tell me there's another well!"

"A well?" Jesira breathed in English to herself.

"...? _You speak...Engrish?_" said the Japanese girl in clumsy version of her native language.

"I'm American!" shouted Jesira, getting an odd look from the Dog Lord. He was probably thinking 'What is she saying?' "Please! Can you tell me where--or when--I am?"

Suddenly he stepped in front of her, shouting "This is my human, Inuyasha, get lost!"

"K'eh! You wish!" shouted the gruff 'Inuyasha,' unsheathing an impossibly large sword from a small and old sheath. "Now hand over that jewel shard!"

Jesira wasn't one to be submissive to anyone, much less a chovanistic demon, but she felt that it was probably wisest to stay by this Sesshoumaru-sama's side. Glancing about to see if there was anything she could use to escape, but there seemed to be nothing except for rocks and the stream, perhaps a few trees; every superstitious bone in her body tingled with anticipation and fear. She sank behind Sesshoumaru-sama as his clawed hands drew out a long whip. Jesira was suddenly caught off-guard by the beauty of his long silver hair.

**Shi-CLANG!**

Sesshoumaru-sama had drawn out his own sword and was now locked with the demon known as Inuyasha.

**Shiiiing!** Sparks flew as Inuyasha jumped away and thrusted his sword downward shouting "Wind Scar!" A great white wind came like a knife, knocking Jesira and the child called Rin back. The tiny toad creature awoke and called out, holding a staff with two shrunken heads upon it. Out of the woman's head came a great flame to burn the other demon. Sesshoumaru-sama jumped with great strength and slashed down in a toxic green swipe.

_Jesira, RUN!_ cried out her mind, only her legs could not spring from their watery ground; her eyes were bewitched with the poetic savagry of it all. These demons of Grandmother's stories were real, and here they were--fighting right before her eyes! Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the girl who appeared to be from modern-day Tokyo aiming an arrow at Sesshoumaru-sama.

"Watch out!" she cried.

He glanced over his shoulder to see her just long enough for the dog-eared demon to land a punch on Sesshoumaru-sama's face. His eyes grew red and his nails grew green, and with a great slash of green, he ripped the dog-eared one's red robe open, along with his white undershirt and through to his tanned chest; he cried out in pain the very moment that the arrow from the Japanese girlwas shot through the air towards his heart.

"NO!"

With a great glow of purple coming from her breast the arrow stopped before it could reach Sesshoumaru-sama's chest. He took a clawed hand and snapped the arrow in two as the one called Inuyasha writhed on the ground in pain. The green slash he did must have been poison. _Did I just stop the arrow?_ she thought.

"You fought against the wrong opponent," said Sesshoumaru-sama, walking away calmly as the monk and other woman ran down the steep hill.

"Sesshoumaru, you coward!" cried out the Monk.

"Inuyasha!" cried the young girl, cradling the demon's head as he tried to stand.

"Kagome, doesn't she have a jewel shard?" asked the older woman.

She looked up. "She has over half of it!"

The tiny toad creature waved his staff at Jesira, as if to herd her towards the forest. "Come now! You are a prisoner of Sesshoumaru-sama now!" said he in a high voice. Rin ran towards him willingly; Jesira had no choice but to follow. As she walked, Jesira's memories of the Japanese language came flooding back.

She glanced around, looking at the totally unspoiled land of feudal Japan. Mind you, Jesira was a smart girl, and it didn't take long for her to realize that she had to figure out a way to get home if she were to survive. The only other way to survive would be to become this demon's slave. She needed Grandmother's help to fight these demons; she needed her advice. All she could really remember about demons and such of Japan were the stories of ogres and the "Old woman and the magic spoon."

Sesshoumaru-sama glanced back at her, his eye going to the jewel at her breast. Feeling a hint of modesty, she immediately clung to it, covering the gem in her palm. Her backpack felt heavy, the air was cool...everything was happening so fast... "Excuse me," she said in Japanese, "where am I? Am I really in Nihon?" And Nihon, of course, meant Japan.

"Where else would you be?" he asked with a sneer. He turned away. "Stupid human..."

"I'm not from here, or from this time for that matter. I'm from America in the 21st century!"

"I gathered that you weren't from this time, fool, I'm not so simple."

"Will you help me then?"

"You!" cried the tiny toad creature. "You brazen wretch! How dare you speak to Sesshoumaru-sama in such a manner! A superior demon of his power would NEVER allow such a puny human to travel with him!"

Jesira pointed to Rin. "Then what's with the kid?" Two and two came together in her own jaded mind. "EEEEEW!"

Sesshoumaru-sama stopped. "Just what are you accusing me of?" he growled.

"Nu-Nothing!" she said, waving her hands.

"Human," he said, still walking, "how do you come to possess the Shikkon no Tama?"

"What, this?" she said, holding up Grandmother's pearls. "It belongs to my grandmother. It's kind of useless, though, it's broken in two."

"You...fool. You don't even realize the power of the jewel!" He turned, extending his great claw. "Give it to me."

"What?" she said, grasping the pearls in her hand. "No way, this doesn't even belong to me! I shouldn't even have it!" Her hair flapped angrily in the breeze; she felt a warm glow from the jewel in her palm. She felt a great power arising from her heart, a sort of pulling from the inside of her chest.

Sesshoumaru's eyes flashed red, making his flawless face take the appearance of some porcelain doll. Her heart stopped, as did the glowing, out of surprise.

"Sesshoumaru-sama..." said Rin. "Is she going to travel with us?"

He raised an eyebrow in question, accenting the marks on his alabaster cheeks.

A mental lightbulb went off in Jesira's mind. "Hey, Sesshoumaru-sama!" she said. "I'll make you a deal... I'll let you use grandmother's jewel for whatever you want and in return you'll help me find my way home."

"Hmph, ridiculous," said Sesshoumaru-sama, turning away. Jesira, however, could tell that he meant yes, even though his face appeared to be callous and flippant about it. Besides, what other choice did Jesira have? She was in a strange land in a strange time with NO way of contacting home.

"Sesshoumaru-sama, wait for me!" cried Rin as she ran after him like a puppy. Jesira jogged behind in her strappy platforms, taking special care not to drop anything from her pink backpack.

"Sesshoumaru-sama," she asked after a while, "where are we going?"

He did not answer.

"Where are you from?" asked Rin.

"America; that's a country that's all the way on the other side of the world. We speak English there. I don't suppose you speak it, do you?" She repeated the sentance in English. Rin didn't understand at all. "I'll teach you a little while I'm here."

She heard a tiny rumbling. "I'm hungry..." said Rin.

"Ooh, I have just the thing for that," said Jesira, reaching around into her backpack. "I should have a granola bar or something in here... Here we go! I'll bet you've never had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich before!"

"How do we know that you're not poisoning us, vile human?" asked the tiny toad.

"Don't worry, Master Jaken," said Rin, "she's too nice."

Jesira smiled. "You are SO CUTE!" she cried in English. She giggled and explained that it was a compliment. "Here, I'll eat some too, okay?" She took out a ziploc baggie and pulled out a pb&j cut diagonally. "The fun thing about these things is that they're really chewy!" she said, handing Rin half of the sandwich. She looked to Sesshoumaru-sama. "You want a bite?"

"Hmph. I don't eat human food."

She shrugged. "Suit yourself!" Rin took a bite. "The cool thing about the way my mom makes them is that she puts a thin layer ofpeanut butter on both sides and the jelly inside so the bread never gets soggy!"

"MmmNmmmrrnmm?" mumbled Rin, her face full of chewy peanut butter.

"Rin?" said Sesshoumaru-sama, glancing behind.

"You're suffocating Rin!" cried Jaken.

"Oh, grow up!" said Jesira, taking a bite of the sandwich. "Shee? Ish fine!" she mumbled through the peanut butter.

"Rin!" said Sesshoumaru-sama, angrily storming up to Jesira.

"Relax--here!" she cried, shoving a large chunk of the pb&j into Sesshoumaru's open mouth.

His eyes went wide and teary, his face nearly purple, his fists tight and his body into a near panic as the thick goo was shoved passed his lips. Sesshoumaru began to panic, his eyes flashing red.

"Mrf!" cried Jesira through the peanut butter. "Don't shwallow! Chew!"

"R-rike dis?" asked Rin through the peanut butter. Jesira nodded, skillfully swallowing her own bite of the apparent 'sandwich of doom.'

Sesshoumaru-sama covered his mouth as he struggled to breathe, his face turning odd shades of purplish-green. He screamed obscenities that Jesira was sort of glad she couldn't understand, shaking his fists. Rin swallowed her bit. "Ooh... It's hard to eat but it's good!" she said, taking another bite.

"For goodness sake, don't make a fuss!" she said, patting Sesshoumaru-sama on the back. "See? Rin can do it." After a few moments of gagging and choking, with a great deal of chewing and effort and a great gasp of air, he finfally managed to swallow the dreaded peanut butter.

"You brazen wench! You've nearly killed Sesshoumaru-sama!" cried Jaken.

Jesira put her hands on her hips. "Hey, don't make me sit on you, man."

Sesshoumaru-sama growled. "Are you trying to kill me?" he said through clenched teeth. "What kind of poison is that!"

"It's not poison, it's food! Humans from where I come from eat it all the time!"

Sesshoumaru-sama thought of this for a moment. You had to be nearly invincible to survive that 'peanut butter and jelly sandwich' thing... Perhaps this human could be of use to him after all? If she could withstand that, then what else could she do? Yes, he thought, she's much more clever than that stupid and pestilent wench that Inuyasha had. Besides, this one had a substantial part of the Shikkon no Tama with her. Not like he needed her, mind you, but she would provide good company for Rin, as well as throughoughly annoy Inuyasha, that half-demon.

Rin finished her half of the sandwich. "_Arigato_, Jesira!" she said with a smile.

She smiled brightly. "You're quite welcome!"

"Se-Sesshoumaru-sama... are you all right?" asked Jaken.

**KICK!** Sesshoumaru-sama kicked Jaken in the head out of frustration. "Stupid human," mumbled he under his breath.

"By the way," Jesira said. "Thank you for saving my life earlier..."

Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow at her. First she poisoned him, and then she was thanking him? What sort of human was she? She may just be of use to me, he thought. It might be best to make her work to my advantage. She certainly would be a good distraction.

(_Some one to protect_...)rang the voice of his father in Sesshoumaru's head.

Some one to protect? Father...

Sesshoumaru then remembered--he was a demon, and a very powerful one at that. He didn't need the aid of a simple human such as this 'American.' From what he took, Americans were stupid, overly friendly when inappropriate, and some of the most assuming creatures ever conceived by human kind. But if she was going to stick around, it was no sweat off his back.

"You're staying then?" Rin asked.

Jesira nodded with a smile. Not like I have much choice, she thought. "As long as 'he' doesn't kill me, then yes," she said, nodding pointedly to Sesshoumaru.

* * *

Kagome sighed as Inuyasha grunted angrily in the background. Miroku and Sango were relaxing by the fire, Shippo helping himself to whatever fish Inuyasha hadn't eaten yet.

"Kagome," said Sango, "Are you still thinking of that girl earlier?"

She nodded. "Yea...a little. She must be from my time--she's got to be. Only...she's American. That's another country far away from here."

"Another country?" asked Miroku. "She was quite a beauty. She's mastered our language perfectly--OUCH!" He was cut off by a swift punch to the head courtesy of Sango. "But what was she doing with Sesshoumaru?"

"I'm more concerned about how many jewel shards she has... We have almost half...she's got WELL over half of the Shikkon Jewel... Could she have the rest? Or perhaps the jewel is only partially complete in the future. It could be an heirloom or something."

"So...what does that mean for us?" Sango implored. "Does that mean there are no more jewel shards for us to collect? That she has them all?"

"No, no that can't be it," interjected Miroku. "you see... The Shikkon Jewel does not exist in Kagome's time but in this time it does. This means that we have the Shikkon Jewel in this time. However, that means that the Shikkon Jewel is either cracked or broken long after we're gone, and then her ancestors find it and bring it to America. Therefore, as long as she's here, there are _two_ sacred jewels for us to find."

"Wow! Two Shikkon jewels! How exciting!" cried Shippo, wiping fish from his face. "Kagome, do you think that maybe she can sense jewel shards too?"

Kagome shrugged. "I don't know."

"One thing is for sure, she certainly is gifted. She stopped your arrow in mid-air, Kagome," said Miroku, crossing his arms thoughtfully.

"K'eh! Who cares!" said Inuyasha angrily, swinging around Tetsusaiga as if having no other way to calm himself down. "If we get that jewel half of hers, then we'll have all of the Shikkon jewel, right?"

"Maybe not, Inuyasha," Miroku replied, "after all, these may be the same jewel but they are from different times. Who knows what kind of reaction it will be?"

"As long as it works, I don't care. Kagome, can you sense--? Wha-- Kagome? Kagome, where are you!"

Everyone looked about for Kagome, but she had disappeared.

Dammit! thought Inuyasha, pounding his fist into his palm. He glanced around, his vision still dizzy from the poison Sesshoumaru's claw had injected into his blood. "Damn you, Sesshoumaru...you've never been able to poison me before..." He dropped to a kneed and beat his fist into the ground, his vision growing blurrier still.

"You can't smell her, Inuyasha?" Shippo implored. "Inuyasha! Are you listening? Hey! Inuyasha!"

* * *

YAY!

I think that's pretty good... lol Leftya mysteriously... m'eh, I dunno. Anyway, I kinda like this chapter! Tee-hee, sandwich of doom...lol  
R&R OR I WILL EAT U!  
Kinsei


	3. A Thousand Angels

**Disclaimer: **sigh If I owned Inuyasha, you think I'd be spending my free time writing fucking fanfiction rather than sailing on a cruise with Kathy-Lee Gifford? That's right, you don't. :P

**Summary:** Okay...chapter two--or possibly three...yay! lol Kagome and Jesira come in contact--though nothing much is said. Sesshoumaru and Jesira have quite a little interlude! Ooh, and Jesira reveals her powers of a siren to Sesshoumaru. Semi-cheese factor played in there, but it works! Ooh, and a Sesshoumaru story wouldn't be complete without a little paternal angst on his part. So, yea, enjoy!

**Chapter Two**

**A Thousand Angels

* * *

**

The rain began to come down lightly at first, but grew steadily more servere at Kagome ran. She had to find out. She had to know: who was this American girl and how did she get here? Was there a well that she came out of? Was she a tourist that simply got lost in Japan? How did she come to posess the Shikkon no Tama? There were far too many questions on Kagome's mind to keep track of. She didn't care if she was defying Inuyasha in some way--she had to see this strange American girl. So what if she only spoke bad English? The girl could speak Japanese.

The rain was at a steady downpour at the twenty-minute mark, and Kagome was walking safely beneath her umbrella, only slightly wet, mostly wet in her shoes and socks. As she came deeper into the forest, the jewel shard concentration became stronger and stronger. There was definately a huge chunk of the jewel shard nearby, and it most likely belonged to that girl. She looked down. Footprints from Sesshoumaru's dragon-horse, Ah-Un, sodden by the rain. Sesshoumaru's prints were near it, as well as the girl's. Her feet were so funny, she thought, so different from the shoes that Kagome wore. Strappy-platforms, Kagome thought, were not practical shoes for the Muromachi period in Japan. A flash of light. The sound of a singing voice. She was there.

* * *

Jesira's eyes fluttered open, the warmth of the Shikkon no Tama awakening her. It was all right; sleep did not seem to want to come easily to her. A lost girl in a foreign country could be very scary, and she was very worried about her family, and her sister's birthday party. She was sad, all right, and felt like she was letting her sister down. She hadn't even gotten a chance to wrap the present she had bought for her--it was still sitting behind her shoes at the back of her closet, next to the bright red roll of wrapping paper and the yellow ribbon, which was Waverly's favorite color. Her eighth birthday...would it be happy without her? Would her parents be worried? Of course they're worried! You're lost in feudal Japan! thought Jesira angrily. Maybe, though, just maybe...if I can find out how to use this jewel properly...maybe I can come back to the exact moment I left?

She sat up; their camp was in the hollowed-out trunk of a giant tree in the deep forest. Rain was coming down quite hard, now, and there was hardly any light atoll. Lightning flashed, soon with a clap of thunder to join it, not loud, not soft. She looked around, the only light there was being a few embers from the fire just at the mouth of the makeshift cave, still glowing gently. Rin was there, and so was the toad, who was sitting at attention.

"Excuse me--!"

"Waah!" The toad called Jaken turned around. "You stupid wench! How dare you sneak up on me like that!"

Jesira's eye twitched. "Where's that Sesshoumaru-guy?"

"Y-You brazen wench! How dare you refer to Sesshoumaru-sama in such a casual manner?"

"Tch, _gome_..." she trailed off. "Fine. Where is Sesshoumaru-sama? Is he out in the rain?"

"Well he didn't abandon us, if that's what you think. Sesshoumaru-sama is a complicated demon, with an intellect beyond your tiny human mind. His great mind must be allowed to rest!" Jaken praised.

"So...he went for a walk?"

"Yup."

Jesira looked over her shoulder to see that Rin was now awake, rubbing her eyes. "_Gomenesai, Rin_. I didn't mean to wake you up..."

"That's okay. Sesshoumaru-sama just disappears sometimes, but he comes back if we call him."

She raised an eyebrow. "In the rain? Doesn't he know that he could get sick?"  
"Silly girl," said Jaken, "demons do not fall ill!"

She sighed, looking out to the rain. "Gosh, that makes me nervous, knowing he's out there... Especially with those people out there."

"What people?" asked Rin. "Do you mean Inuyasha and Kagome?"

Jesira nodded.

"Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru-sama are half-brothers. I thought you should know."

"You stupid girl! You shouldn't just go and tell people that! You know how Sesshoumaru-sama hates how that _hanyou_ Inuyasha is related to him!"

"_Doushite_?" asked Jesira, which meant 'why?'

"Sesshoumaru-sama is very proud," said Rin, "so he doesn't like that Inuyasha has a human mother and his father. Sesshoumaru-sama's father was a great demon, isn't that so Master Jaken?"

"Yes, he was a great demon. Then again, Sesshoumaru-sama's father was so unfair! Leaving that inferior _hanyou_ Inuyasha the Tetsusaiga and leaving Sesshoumaru-sama the useless Tensseiga--! Hey, where did that girl go!" Jaken stood up, looking around. "Human girl! Human! Come back!"

* * *

_The rain..._

_Something about it... It washes everything away..._

Rain fell down gently, steadily, all throughout the tops of the trees. A few animals were outside, but they were all scurrying away from the rain, away from the Dog Lord Sesshoumaru. Grass and ground became saturated and soggy with water. If he were to take a step, the ground would give to his weight.

_The Shikkon jewel... That girl... Naraku._..

Naraku would want the jewel from the girl, and this was something that Sesshoumaru knew well. He also knew that the human that travelled with Inuyasha would want that half of the jewel. If Naraku were to get his hands on the Shikkon no Tama, then what would happen? He'd grow stronger, even though he was an inferior to his 'reputation.'

_I cannot allow the Shikkon jewel to fall into Naraku's hands. An inferior demon like that is always trying to get ahead the easy way. Naraku... I cannot allow Inuyasha to obtain the jewel either. This means I cannot let that human girl out of my sight..._

_The human girl..._

Sesshoumaru wasn't a fool--he knew what Inuyasha wanted with the Shikkon jewel. Knowing this, Sesshoumaru simply could not allow it.

_That stupid hanyou... I despise you, Inuyasha, I despise that my noble father's blood runs through your muddy veins_.

_Father... Why did you leave that inferior hanyou the Tetsusaiga instead of me? Am I not your true son? I was to defeat you and take them, but... Tensseiga..._

The rain suddenly stopped--at least, over his head. Opening his eyes, Sesshoumaru could see the rain pouring, and yet feel none. Looking up, he saw that even he, the great Sesshoumaru, could be lost so deep in his thoughts not to notice the American human girl. Rain was soaking her from head to toe, the black of her wavy hair falling in streams over her shoulders. He noticed just how funny-looking she was!

The black of her top was so...fitted and tight, like it was painted on. She wore no kimonos but more like the undergarment dresses beneath them. The deep azure and sea green of the bottom part clung to her long white legs, and down to her shoes... Sandals, he recognized, only slightly modified, like they were meant to keep her on her curled toes. He looked to her face, drenched with water and flushed with blood in her cheeks. Her eyes, well, her eyes...

_Her eyes..._

"... Human."

At the sound of his voice, she seemed to quiver.

"What do you want?"

She shrugged. "You looked cold, that's all. Besides, you're getting soaked."

"How devilishly perceptive..."

She laughed, her cheeks burning pinkish-red. Sesshoumaru could see a few freckles upon her cheeks and across her nose. He looked up--some great blackish sheild seemed to be hovering over his head.

"What's that?" he asked.

"It's an umbrella," said the human girl. "It protects you from the rain and keeps you dry. See?" She pulled the umbrella over her head and performed a skilled turn upon one long leg, her other tucked beneath her. "Ta-da! That's called a pirhouette! It's a dance move..."

Sesshoumaru looked away. "I do not need protection from a trivial thing such as rain. I certainly do not need it from an insolent human like you..."

"Hmph. I didn't know you were really so prejudice. When Jaken told me about Inuyasha, I merely thought it was jealousy, but I doubted that you were prejudice against humans..."

"... Jealousy?"

She sighed. "Forget it..."

_Pathetic wench... Me? Jealous of that hanyou Inuyasha? Ridiculous._

She was still there, holding the umbrella over his head. "What do you want now?"

The girl shrugged again. "Nothing, I guess... I just can't sleep is all." She was lying. "Unless...you can tell me...how did I get here?"

"The same way the other wench gets here, I suppose."

"Kagome?"

Sesshoumaru glared. "Do not mention names like those in my presence."

"_Gome..._ But...could _she_ show me how to get home?"

He shrugged.

"You're still helping me get home, right? I mean... You said that you'd help me get home if I let you use my grandmother's Shikkon jewel or whatever."

"Sesshoumaru-sama...may I ask...what is wrong, exactly, with your Tensseiga?" asked the human girl, leaning her side against the tree trunk they were beneath.

"Hmph."

_Brazen wench..._

"Sesshoumaru-sama...where are we going in the morning?"

_Why doesn't she just go back to sleep?_

"Sesshoumaru-sama..." she began. He looked up in annoyance. "Do you mind if I just sit with you for a minute?"

"... What?"

She smiled, her teeth like pearls. She crossed over to the other side and sat by him at the base of the tree. "It's all right," she said, propping the 'umbrella' up in a knook of the tree to it sheilded them both, "we're just friends, is all... And I'll do my best not to bother you--just tell me if I am?"

"Hmph. Ridiculous."

She smiled again, her cheeks and lashes dancing with tiny droplets of water. "You're positively wicked, do you know that?"

He raised an eyebrow in question.

"I mean that in a good way, you know? Where I come from...sometimes...to be wicked is to be merely misunderstood, or to oppose. It's sad, though, to be wicked. You're an enemy to everyone...a hero to few...sometimes even evil. It must be a burden to be wicked, you know?

_What is she saying...?_

"The sad thing, really, is that...no one mourns the wicked when the die. But...demons don't die for a long time, do they? How old are you?"

"Five-hundred and seven."

"... You look really good for your age..." Her face was as red as a fresh apple from a tree. "You know, there's a song from musical--a modern-day opera called "Wicked"--that reminds me of you a little... It's sad, but it's such a pretty song."

The shikkon no tama about her breast began to glow as she began to sing.

"_No one mourns the wicked--_

_No one cries "they won't return!"_

_No one lays a lily on their grave._

_The good man scourns the wicked._

_Through their lives, our children learn_

_What they miss, when they misbehave..."  
_Her voice broke out into a climbing vibratto, like a western opera all about the acoustic forest in a sweeping melody, a smile gracing her face. Music seemed to come from the jewel. The forest seemed to be bowing to her voice.

"_And goodness knows_

_The wicked's lives are lonely..._

_Goodness knows_

_The wicked die alone..._

_It just shows, _

_When you're wicked, you're left only..._

_On your own..._

_Oh, gooness knows_

_The wicked's lives are lonely._

_Goodness knows_

_The wicked cry alone..._

_Nothing grows for the wicked, they reap only..._

_What they sew..."_

Thunder began to crack, as if to bow to the siren of her voice. Sesshoumaru felt a strange pang in his chest as he listened. People--human men, to be precise--came into the forest, singing along to her voice, as if they knew the words, as if they were under a spell. The human girl stood, beginning to dance, taking the roll of prima donna. The men began to dance and harmonize with her in a great minor chord. The shikkon jewel along with the magic of her voice had bewitched them.

_"No one mourns the wicked..._

_Now at last, he's dead and gone!_

_Now at last, there's joy throughout the land_

_And goodness knows..._

_We know what goodness is,_

_Goodness knows_

_The wicked die alone_

_He died alone!_

_Don't you know_

_(those you know)_

_Those who sprun what goodness is..._

_They are shunned...!_

_NO one mourns the wicked!_

_Good news!_

_No one mourns the wicked_

_Good news!_

_No one mourns the wicked_

_Wicked--_

_Wicked!"_

That was it--the song cut off, as did the magic of her voice with a clap of thunder. She was now standing in a field of confused men, soaking wet with her long hair coming down along her shoulders. Sesshoumaru needed only to flash the red in his eyes to cause them to run in panic, screaming of a demon. She suddenly looked embarassed.

"_G-Gomenesai_... ACHOO!"

_This girl...this human...she's powerful... She can influence men with her voice. At least I don't have to spend every moment protecting her otherwise useless self._

_**"Have you someone to protect...?"**_

_Father...? What are you doing to me? Father... Naraku, you'll want her for yourself, won't you? Yes, that inferior demon would gladly take the power of her voice for his own. That means...she'll be my bait. Naraku, my prey...will come to me._

Sesshoumaru stood, bringing the umbrella over the girl's head. "Human--"

"Jesira."

"What?"

"My name is Jesira--not 'human.'"

"... You'd best get back to Rin and Jaken."

"ACHOO!"

"...Are you ill, human?"

"My name is--ACHOO!--Jesira, and no, I'm not--ACHOO!--ill." She wiped her nose with her soaked arm.

"So stop sneezing, it's becoming an annoyance."

"... _Gome_... Will you come with me?"

He shook his head. "Later." He handed her the umbrella.

"Wait a second!" called Jesira. "Are you really going to walk around out here in the cold rain?"

"I do not need protection from something as trivial as rain."

She looked down. "Sesshoumaru, won't you take my umbrella until the rain is over? Please, I'd feel much better if I knew you would have it."

He looked at her oddly, as if she was crazy. "I do not need pity, either."

"It's not pity, it's consideration." Her cheeks were red as apples. "How about this? I'll give you my umbrella and whether you use it or not is up to you. I promise that I'll leave you alone if you take it..."

She held out her pretty white hands, as if to selflessly offer him the world. He reached and took the strange object called umbrella, being uncharactaristically careful as not to scratch her hands with his claws. Her hands were pretty, he thought, very pretty indeed. It reminded him of his mother, almost, as her hands were small and white with long spidery fingers.

"Well, it's time to keep my end of the bargain..." said she, pulling a few long tendrils of hair away from her face. Her lips and cheeks were both flushed pink now, her eyes wide and bright. Her lashes and hair...all soaking wet now, because of the rain. The fabric of her strange garments were now clinging to her body, rain and water falling off her shoulders. She was beautiful; this was something Sesshoumaru had neglected to notice when he first saw her, and was now seeing as she was walking away through the rain, humming some tune along the way.

_Don't think about that,_ said Sesshoumaru to himself, holding the umbrella over his head. _Remember, you have control. Do you remember what Father taught you?_

Control and purity--those were Sesshoumaru's mantras. Father was a wise demon, albiet a little passionate for Sesshoumaru's tastes. The Taiyoukai died because of Inuyasha's mother, of his passion for her--he had no control over his emotions. He was a hypocrite to what he had taught Sesshoumaru during his younger days.

**_"Sesshoumaru, if there is one thing I can teach you, I can teach you that the key to being a great warrior is control. Do not let your emotions get ahead of you, my son. Emotion can cloud the mind, dull the spirit--only when you can calm the storm of your mind, may you reach absolute focus."_**

_**The water pounded hard upon the rocks, foam spraying up into a cloud of water. A flock of geese were flying overhead as if to dance with the pink blossoms in the breeze. This would be Sesshoumaru's first summer as a man, a real demon. It was now Father's responsibility to train and groom him into a great demon like himself. After all, great demons are not born, they are made. Father's estate...**_

_**"What of women, Father?" asked a young Sesshoumaru, who was just beginning to bud into a young man--he resembled the human age of fourteen.**_

_**"Women... Women are beautiful creatures, like your mother was... Your mother was a ruthless killer, as clever as she was merciless. Women can cloud the mind, my son, and you must not let them lure you away from your path--that goes for men as well. You must stay true to yourself, to your path. You must have ultimate control over the desires of the flesh, as such things can be...well..." He trailed off. "One day, when you are ready and grown, you will find the Perfect mate. She will be honest yet demure, patient yet corageous...gentle, yet strong. And she will love you, lean on you as her rock, even if you are distant and appear cold. My son, when you are ready and grown, she will appear--your Perfect mate."**_

_**"Was that my mother for you, Father?"**_

**_"... Your mother... I did love her, Sesshoumaru, I did. Your mother was...wreckless, impulsive. I'm sorry that she cannot be here now to see how well you are growing. You _can_ rise against your mother's mistakes."_**

_**Mother...**_

_**"Sesshoumaru...I know you desire power, strength. A great lesson to learn is that power is nothing unless you can share it, use it to protect someone... Have you someone to protect?"**_

"Honest and demure...gentle and strong...patient and corageous? What sort of woman could ever exist in my time? Even if 'the Perfect mate' were there, she'd be with another for being so perfect. Ridiculous."

He looked at the umbrella in his hands, twirling about the handle like a sword--this could never be a weapon, it was too poorly designed as such. He held the peculiar object like Jesira was holding it earlier. Rain skirted round the surface and fell off the sides. ...Jesira... Her name was Jesira. And her voice...almost dizzying.

* * *

Through the hazy purple mist, he could see them--the two angels, each with part of the Shikkon jewel, one with half, one with more than half which hung among precious pink pearls. Their hair was dark and glossy in the rain, their clothes clinging to their bodies, supple and lithe. Their lips were pink and flushed, ready to be kissed as they spoke to each other, hesitant of what the other would do.

Kagome was a beauty, he thought, but this new one...this siren...Jesira. Her voice was amazing. Her voice had the power to call out to the hearts of men to sing along with her, to be with her. The strongest and wisest of men would buckle to the sound of her voice; just think of what one note from her tongue could do. Her blithe smile and pearly teeth, her rosy cheeks and long fingers... Her legs...her beautiful dancing legs. These dances were new to his eyes, the dances she did. Perfect spins on the tips of her toes, long leaps upon her legs, powerful arms supported perfectly to form shapes and gestures. Kagura's dancing had once seemed so lovely, and yet nothing compared. This beauty...this siren...this new one...Jesira... ...Jesira.

"Naraku," said Kagura, entering his chamber, "you sent for me?"

"Yes, Kagura, see this girl," said he, waving his hands over a pool of myasma, his looking glass to the outside world. "Look at this beauty."

"Not Inuyasha's wench!" said Kagura in surprise.

"No, you fool! The beauty with long hair...look, there hangs a strand of precious pearls and well over half of the Shikkon jewel at her breast. The beauty here, with pink lips and cheeks... This one, the valuable one."

Kagura was confused, and--suddenly--a little threatened. What was so special about this girl?

"You'd like me to collect her jewel shard?"

Naraku twirled a few waves of his hair between his knuckles, fondling his sculpted chin. "Her jewel shard..." He looked down at the beauty, shyly smiling at what ever the girl Kagome was saying. Her lashes were perfectly long and curled--this fertle beauty was a sheer vision.

_"...Thanks...Listen, Kagome, can you tell me why Sesshoumaru hates Inuyasha so much? I know I can..."_

He must have her. Just think, what Sesshoumaru would do if she was taken from him. Naraku knew that he could use the beauty to lure Sesshoumaru to him. Even better, any man who heard her voice fell under a spell--he'd attract every demon in all of Japan. This beauty would prove quite useful to him--he didn't need her jewel shards until she became old and useless, when her voice went. After all, this beauty was from the future as well, wasn't she? That meant the Shikkon Jewel was still about--and with the full Shikkon jewel as well as her half, he'd be the most powerful demon in Japan, nay, the world. He must have this beauty for his own. Jesira...with the voice of a thousand angels.

_"...you probably don't want to get mixed up with a guy like Sesshoumaru..."_

_"Why?"_

"No, Kagura, you must bring her to me. Do not harm her, to not upset her, and certainly do not do anything to hurt that voice. The voice of a thousand angels..." He leaned back on the tatami mat. "Do take care not to scratch her, especially those legs...those strange dancing legs..."

He smirked and waved. "Now, leave me, I want to watch more..."

Kagura bowed, hiding a grimacing face. "Yes... Naraku-sama..." With a bow, she exited the chambers. Naraku looked over his pool, watching Jesira run in the rain, waving goodby to Kagome. She was wringing out her hair to no avail. He had to smile at the beauty, this dark-eyed beauty, this beauty with the voice of a thousand angels... Jesira...you shall be mine...

* * *

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH! NARAKU! AAAAH! lol That was awesome...btw, if you know where this song is from, you are a GOD! HOOYEA! lol NEwayz, that's a pretty cool chap, if I do say so myself. Sorry it took me so long to get up though! I'm just trying to solve the great-ness of conspiracies.

BTW, a preview for the next chapter: Sesshoumaru begins to show his tender side to Jesira, while showing the merciless side. As a break, the Sesshy-chan gang heads home(aka Sesshoumaru's FABULOUS palace!) for planning/strategic crap. It's gonna be a hoot! BTW, I found this awesome sesshy site. Go to and enter "The Killing Perfection." It's thanks to this site that I have some inspiration for my next chapter! yay!

Kinsei


	4. The Geisha

**Disclaimer**: Need I even say it?

**Summary**:Chapter three! Huzzah! Well, you all know the creepiness factor just got turned WAY up in the last chapter w/ Naraku? oooohhh...(Melissa Y:NARAKU IS MY BITCH! Kayli: SMACK! Melissa Y: ... Kayli: Mmmyea... . .. . ..) lol NEwayz, Sesshoumaru wakes up in the lavishness of his(or his father's) estate with the others nearby. Planning ensues as Kagura creeps closer...

* * *

**Chapter Three  
The Geisha**

Sesshoumaru's eyes flashed open, his breath short and heavy from the dream he'd had the night before. He gave a slight moan as he tried to remember what had happened. He glanced about, finding himself in the master bedroom of his estate, which had once been Father's estate. His vision was blurry, his mind lost in a passionate haze. He found himself naked beneath the sheets, his pale skin glistening with sweat. Shocked and horrified with this, he grabbed the nearest haori and pants and put them on--a light blue haori with red flower prints upon the sleeves' ends. He sat upon the great bed, his head dizzy and confused. Nobody had been with him, nobody was there... A dream?

"Damn!" he cursed at himself in a whisper, realising that a certain time had come. He would be in heat soon. He mustn't leave the grounds until the Heat is over, otherwise he'd jump the first female he would see. The last thing he needed was for it to be that human girl, that Jesira... She was charming, yes, and her voice was very pretty, but the last thing he wanted was to mate with her--a lowly human woman.

He then remembered it all. They were home, now, all four of them. Sesshoumaru had led them all to his lavish estate, to his lands in the west, all enchanted or cursed with demonic aura and magic. His castle, his palace...it was all their home too. He had remembered coming here after the big storm, giving Rin his old room, and Jesira a room just down the hall from the master bedroom, so Sesshoumaru might be able to keep an eye on her, though he doubted that Naraku would be stupid enough to come to his estate and attack. Jaken was in a room adjacent to Sesshoumaru's, which had been a servant's quarters beforehand. Now, the sun was shining through the shojii screens of the windows, curtains drawn to the sides. He stood upon shaky legs, the cold of the floor to his bare feet giving him a slight chill. He left the haori jacket open as he walked across the floor, out of the room and into the hallway.

It was early, still, and a slight chill from the recent storms still in the air. Sesshoumaru did not go to Rin's or Jaken's rooms, but walked down the hall until he reached the room where that human girl, Jesira, was sleeping. Gently, he knelt at the shojii screen and slid it aside. There she was, lying on the grand bed, beneath several layers of fur pelts and blankets, her hair all in disarray. Her cheeks were flushed from the chill in the air. She was dressed in strange clothes, as usual, and seemed to be sleeping quite peacefully. This would be the first night of peace she had since she'd out of the sky that day.

He cocked his head gently, letting a few strands of silvery white hair run over his semi-bare shoulder. _She's...beautiful_, thought Sesshoumaru, instantly horrified by the thought. He shook his head, trying to rid himself of any 'feelings' he could ever have for this human, no matter how beautiful she was. He looked down at her again, gingerly reaching to touch her neck. His breath stifled as the back of his fingers felt the skin of her cheek, tiny jolts of electricity running up and down his arms and thighs. He then remembered what that dream had been about. Suddenly his face was flushed red with embarassment. He rushed hurredly out of Jesira's room, closing the screen and leaning against it.

"_Sesshoumaru-sama_?" Jaken was there, just a few feet of him. "Is all well, my lord?"

Sesshoumaru regained his composure immediately, cold and proper, like always. "Jaken," he said, "see to it that the entire staff knows of both Rin's and Jesira's presence. Inform them to treat them as ladies of the house, and anything less shan't be tolerated." With that he walked off to his room again. "Oh, and Jaken, see to it that Jesira finds more...suitable clothes."

"Y-Yes, my lord..."

* * *

As they were talking, Jesira was waking up to a lavish and beautiful room. She straightened her big Jackie Brown t-shirt as she sat up on the big mat, looking about on the polished floors, the perfectly structured architecture of the palace, of the time. She was actually in the Muromachi period in Japan... She was a part of living history--or more a living faerie tale. Though Sesshoumaru-sama was a far cry from Prince Charming, she had to admit that he was a very generous man. After all, he had taken her in out of the goodness of his heart--inviting a perfect stranger into his home. How thoughtful, he was, to have done this.

The shojii screen slid open slightly, and then all the way open to see a demon maid, wearing the traditional dress in a purple kimono. Her hair was short and pinned back with flowers. She bowed her head and slowly rose from her knees, shuffling to Jesira and offering her a white robe.  
"_Ohayoo gouzaimasu, Jesira-sama_," said she. "Sesshoumaru-sama would have you wear this robe."

"Robe?" she asked. It looked to be nothing more than a white cotton bathrobe. "_Doushite?_"

"_Sesshoumaru-sama_ has commanded it, _Jesira-sama_."

Now she was intrigued. She stood up, revealing her legs completely, as she had no pajama bottoms for the t-shirt. The servant girl blushed profusely at the sight of them. "Why has Sesshoumaru-sama commanded _anything_ about me?" asked Jesira, going to her bag and fumbling through it for her hairbrush. "Here it is!" She sat Native American style by the bag and began to brush.

The servant girl stood. "If it pleases you, my lady, I will comb your hair for you."

"Why are you calling me, 'my lady?'"

"Sesshoumaru-sama has ordered yourself and Miss Rin to be treated as ladies of the house during your stay here."

"Ladies of the house?" Jesira repeated in confusion. "You mean...you'll do what ever I ask you to even if it's silly?"

"Yes, my Lady. Sesshoumaru-sama would not have it any other way."

"Hop on one foot."

The servant obeyed.

"Now touch your nose."

The servant obeyed.

"Now bark like a dog."

"Arf! Arf! Arf!"

"A big dog!"

"Woof! Woof! Woof!"

Jesira began to laugh hysterically.

"This is so cool!" She danced around the room happily. "It's like I'm a princess!" She looked over to the demon servant girl. "You can stop now." She laughed again. "This is the definition of the royal treatment!"

"But you are, Jesira-sama, as long as you are here in this house, you are to be treated like you were Sesshoumaru-sama's mate--"

That word stopped Jesira in mid-releve. "His what? What do you mean by that? He thinks I am his mate?"

"I'm sorry, Jesira-sama, I thought that you were..." The servant girl blushed again.

She sighed. "It's all right... I guess that you're just doing your job..." She stood and stretched. "Any chance of a girl getting a bath around here?"

She nodded happily. "Yes, my lady, come to the bathing quarters. We've been expecting you."

Jesira was led down the hall and down a flight of stairs to a bathroom that was more like a room with several steaming swimming pools. It was more of a bathhouse than a bath_room_. The air was thick with herbs and aromatic bathsalts. A fountain-like structure was at the end of the room. Maids and attendants were running about through the thick steam.

"Your bath, my lady." She showed Jesira a great round pool with rocks shaped like armrests. Several younger males brough special oils and herbs.

"Wow!" said Jesira, throwing off her t-shirt, her long hair covering her breasts. "Oh, hey, what's your name?"

"Me?" the maid asked. "Uh... _Saiyuri desu, Jesira-sama._"

"Saiyuri?" She nodded. "Ok, you're my new best friend. Whoo-hoo!" She jumped out of her underwear and cannonballed into the hot water. "WHOA! Hot!" said she, gasping for air.

Moments later, she was leaning back upon the warm rocks, her hair being rubbed and washed with strange plant oils to make it shine. Servants were scrubbing her all over, though she couldn't quite understand why they couldn't let her do it herself. Everything smelled so good...like ginsing or tea leaves...Jesira felt like she was in a spa! Saiyuri began to comb her hair. Everything rather reminded her of a Hayao Miyazaki film! Everything was perfect and brilliant. In spite of herself and her lonliness for her parents and for Grandmother, she never wanted it to end! If only she could find a way to come and go between worlds like Kagome did...  
"Are you enjoying your bath, my lady?" asked Saiyuri.

"Yes, thanks," said Jesira as her shoulders were being rubbed. "Saiyuri, you've been here for a while, right?"

"Since Sesshoumaru-sama was a boy, yes. Of course, I was very young then.."

"Can you tell me about him? I really must thank him for his hospitality... Can you tell me why he's brought us here?"

Saiyuri shrugged as Jesira came out of the bath. She wrapped a drying cloth about her slim body. "Sesshoumaru-sama is a very complicated demon, Jesira-sama. He covets the Tetsusaiga which belongs to his half-brother, Inuyasha, and that's why he journeys. To become stronger, I suppose, is a high priority for Sesshoumaru-sama. His father was a great demon, and Sesshoumaru-sama was determined to defeat him. Inutaishou-sama died, however, before that could happen. Poor Sesshoumaru-sama has been greiving ever since, though he'll hardly show sadness. He's had such a hard life, you know?" Saiyuri began to comb Jesira's long hair. "When we saw him come with you, we were so happy, and thought that he'd finally chosen a mate so he'd never be lonely again. That's why, Jesira-sama, I thought you were...well..."

She nodded. "I see... Sesshoumaru is lonely?" She sighed with worry, and then with contentment, as young demon boys were massaging her feet and shoulders. "This feels so good... I know I should be focusing on trying to get home, but I just can't seem to figure it out.."

An old woman with long gray hair came in, her eyes a deep ruby red. "Let me do it," she said to Saiyuri, making her rise and walk away. Jesira looked over to her, dressed in fine servant's robes of deep blue. She was holding an ivory box, short and wide, like a checker board box. She smiled, her eyes like red slits.

"_Ohayoo gouzaimasu, Jesira-sama_," said the old woman. "You may call me _Okassan_. I am Governess of this house, and I am here to make sure you are treated just as you should be."

"Governess?" Jesira asked. "Does that mean you were Sesshoumaru's nanny?"

Okassan nodded, kneeling at Jesira's feet and massaging them with hot stones. "Sesshoumaru-sama was like a child to me for a long time, especially when his mother left."

"His mother?"

"_Hai, Jesira-sama_. When_Okassan no Sesshoumaru-sama_was here in this house, she would have me rub her feet every day. _Inutaishou-sama_ was taught that women are most happy when every part of them is content. While you are here, you may have a foot massage any time you like. Saiyuri will give them to you when I am not able to."

"Okassan, please tell me about Sesshoumaru."

She shook her head. "There is not much to tell."

"Why are we here, then? Are we resting?"

"Sesshoumaru-sama is probably here to stop and think, let you rest perhaps. If you don't mind my saying so, my lady, Sesshoumaru-sama seems to be quite fond of you. Either that, or he respects you enough to let you stay here."  
"Respects me?"

"_Oh, hai, Jesira-sama. _Sesshoumaru-sama despises humans, especially his younger brother, Inuyasha. I think that Sesshoumaru-sama is greedy, though, for hating his brother like that."

"Greedy?"

"Yes, my lady. Tenseiga is the sword of heaven, of healing, while Tetsusaiga is the sword of power. Sesshoumaru-sama longs for power, longs for the same power his father had. He is a great demon, but he will never be a great demon like his father, Inutaishou-sama, if he keeps sulking like this. Forgive me, Jesira-sama, I do not mean to speak badly about the young Master."

Jesira sank gently into the water to her chin. Sesshoumaru respected her? What a thought! Though she hardly gave it a thought, Sesshoumaru was a very powerful demon, and a beautiful one at that. She closed her eyes, wondering what his hair felt like when brushed. "I'd love to braid his hair," said Jesira quietly to herself. "I'd love to get to know him. I think he'd make a great character in a musical!" She sighed, closing her eyes at the soothing feeling of Okassan massaging her feet, of Saiyuri combing her long hair. "Maybe it won't be so bad being stuck here... If I could only find a way to get back and forth between the worlds..." She closed her eyes for a moment. "What's in the box?"

Okassan reached for the box and opened it. Inside were combs, hair ornaments, charcoal and face powder. "We thought that, perhaps, you'd like to paint your face."

Paint her face? Jesira thought that her Japanese was a little off to hear it like that...maybe she meant to say...you'd like to put on some make-up. She leaned over and looked at all of the things...it looked just like what Grandmother had in her apartment!

When Jesira finished her bath, she returned to her room and found new, beautiful clothes! Layers of pink and red were lying neatly folded on the bed, and a great and elaborate kimono was hanging from the ceiling like some piece of art. The kimono was made of the finest blue silk, patterns and prints of lilies all over it. Upon the back was a great orange goldfish, swimming in the fabric's threads. "Oh! It's so beautiful!"

Saiyuri nodded and helped Jesira get into the underlayers. "Sesshoumaru-sama ordered it to be brought to you. He said to find you some 'suitable clothes.'"

"This is more than suitable!" said Jesira, running her dancer's fingers all over the fabric. It felt like water! She smiled and breathed in the crisp rural air; it reminded of Grandmother's small house. Grandmother was a geisha back in Japan, before she immigrated in the 50's. Jesira thought fondly of Grandmother, and of her lessons.  
'Jesira-chan, that is a perfect bow...for a pig farmer. Here, close your fingers, raise your elbows off the ground--that's it, my _hana chibi_...'  
Grandmother first taught her how to dance, how to twirl fans, how to sing and how to arrange flowers... Pour the tea like this, and press gently against his leg when you sit--but, accidently, of course. She missed Grandmother, she missed her wisdom and their talks...she missed her weekends where she and Grandmother would dress up in threadbare kimonos and pretend to be Geishas together. Jesira was the only one pretending, though, Grandmother was a real Geisha. Even in her old age, she could still stop a man with a single glance--even if it was only in question.

She closed her eyes as Saiyuri wrapped her in the fine silk. Jesira knew what she must do... Sesshoumaru had the power to send her back, and he had the power to find out...she had to make him tell her, she had to become what he wanted her to be...a lady, a friend, a Geisha. Jesira knew that she had to pull up her hair and ornament it with these combs and pins... walk perfectly in those little _kutsus _and gracefully bow her head...appear at all times to be a moving piece of art. Saiyuri wrapped the obi of bright red around her waist, slightly binding her breasts to her body with its width. She took in a deep breath as Saiyuri tied the bow in the back as she began to pull up her hair with some of the combs at her mirror. Not terribly tight, she thought, but tight enough to show off your bone structure. Leave a few strands or chunks of hair to frame your face, now, because that will add length to your neck...

Saiyuri watched her in the mirror, handing her the white face powder and the brushes as she put white, foundation-like cream on her back and neck where skin would show. Jesira buffed on the powder, paling her complexion, making it even more obvious as to her Asian heritage than before. She put the charcoal on her eyebrows and lined her eyes so the slant was even more defined. Saiyuri put an ornament in her hair, so it looked like a delicate bunch of cherry blossoms were dangling down her face's side. She took the brush and painted the stark red color upon her lips, making it look like she was a doll.  
"Saiyuri," said Jesira. "Tell me honestly, will Sesshoumaru find me pretty like this?"  
Saiyuri nodded. "I can't seem to think of a reason why he shouldn't, Jesira-sama."

Jesira looked at her reflection. She wasn't shocked, she wasn't happy nor sad...she was very stoic, as if she knew that it was an important day. She took Grandmother's pearls with the Shikkon jewel and placed it around her neck. The delicate pink of the jewel and its pearls gently offset the light azure of the kimono. 'Remember,' Jesira thought, 'be a piece of art.' She felt positively wicked...

* * *

Sesshoumaru took in a deep breath as he looked out onto the lake, the crystalline lake out of which the great tree grew from its island. There had been many a night of Sesshoumaru's childhood spent in that tree, watching from the inside at the show of fireflies that danced on the lilies and through the branches. The tree itself seemed to be enchanted by some ancient magic. The cherries, however, the cherries were the sweetest cherries every to be tasted by man or demon. Father had always said that his mother ate the cherries during her pregnancy with Sesshoumaru, and it had in turn made him powerful since birth. Since that story, Sesshoumaru always had the special taste for the cherries, and forbid any of the other servants to eat the fruits from the island oasis upon penalty of death.

A breeze came, ruffling his clothes and hair slightly in the wind. A strangely familiar scent was carried on the breeze from behind. He turned his head ever so slightly to see who it was; the air evaporated from his lungs when he saw her, the blood rushed to his cheeks and burned with an intoxicated fury. His eyes drank in the sight of this new Jesira, this new woman that had appeared once as a pretty girl, now a blossoming beauty. Her hair was pulled sleekly back, her lips painted red to perfection, her stance like a swaying peach tree with the curvature of her back. She was very different, and yet it felt as if she had belonged here.

She gave an elegant smile. "I've never seen a more beautiful palace," said Jesira in perfect Japanese. She seemed to glide over the grassy knoll as she walked to him. "I never properly thanked you for saving my life, or letting me stay with you, for that matter."

Sesshoumaru shook his head and glanced away.

"Do you know what I am?" she asked in a flirtatious way. "I'm a Geisha."

Geisha, he thought. It was a new word to him..yet he knew it as someone who was an artist. It was more like Jesira had turned herself into a piece of art rather than being an artist herself. She looked like a painting or a statue, but fairer, and certainly more courteous and demure.

"My grandmother was a Geisha, long ago when she lived in Japan. She immigrated to America and taught me everything she knew."

Sesshoumaru looked over to her as she spoke, his eyes wandering her face and body, as if drinking her in. Her voice's hypnotic power seemed even more apparent, now, as did her charm and good looks. Sesshoumaru immediately became horrified with himself--he could never love a human or take one as his mate, no matter how pretty or powerful they were. He was a demon lord, and he would be making a hypocrite out of himself if he were to take a human as his mate. He had to admit, though, she was exceedingly polite and patient with him, and quite gentle for someone of her kind of power.

A thought flashed through his mind--what if this was the kind of girl that Father had been talking about?

He then shook his head. As if that mattered, he thought, this was a human girl, and not even a human from my own time period. Why should I care for her? Concentrate, Sesshoumaru, you must not let your desires stray you from your ultimate goal. You mustn't care how pretty she is, or how well she sings and dances... You mustn't care if Father would have liked her... You mustn't care... You mustn't care.

Just gain her favour enough to use her as bait for Naraku.  
Jesira looked up to meet his eyes.

"Your ears are huge," he suddenly blurted.

"You shouldn't wear your hair up, it looks much better down," he then said.

"Was that a compliment?"

Sesshoumaru looked away. Jesira laughed and glided away from the spring, unpinning her hair as she walked and letting it fall down in a sea of black waves. She was very pretty...very, very pretty. He found himself humming a tune he'd often heard her singing in the language she called English. He didn't know what the words meant, but he knew that she felt it when she sang it. Through his Japanese, he struggled to sing the words.

_"Don't wish, don't start..._

_Wishing only wounds the heart.."_

He suddenly stopped, feeling his Heat coming again. "Damn!" he cursed. He began walking briskly back to his estate. "Just go back to bed and you'll be fine..." he said to himself.

* * *

Naraku watched Jesira through his myasma pool as she walked with Rin, smiling gently. His body lusted and hungered for her touch as it lusted for Sesshoumaru's beauty. He must rid himself of Sesshoumaru and absorb him into his body, he thought, otherwise, her heart will be forever locked with his.

Kagura suddenly appeared, whisking Jesira away on her feather. Sesshoumaru came running soon after, his eyes glowing red in anger. Sesshoumaru seemed different; weakened, warm, almost like he was ill. Perfect, thought Naraku, if he's ill, he can't do much about Jesira being stolen. He gazed hungrily at Jesira's face, fearful and angry, struggling to get free. She was a powerful girl...yes, a very powerful girl. She would be a formidable force once he wooed her into submission. With a few notes, she could lure the hearts of all powerful demons within a hundred miles.

He rose, clothing himself in a deep purple robe, the fabric slipping over his skin and hugging his form gently. "Jesira... I will build you a gilded cage and never let you out."

A thud. Some screams and punches. Kagura's voice. The sliding of the shojii screen and the sound of Jesira's body hitting the floor. Naraku turned to see her, angry eyes that were shaken with fear.  
"My Lady," he said, bowing lowly, "might I say it is an honor to view such a sight as you are."

"Wh-Who are you!" she cried, trying to sound more angry than frightened.

"I am Naraku."

* * *

Yay! keep a lookout for chap 4! Naraku! 


	5. Jesira Captured

**Disclaimer**: If you've read this far and you think I own Sesshoumaru--you're fuckin stupid! Come one! If ANYBODY owned Sesshoumaru, they'd be doing much better things that writing stories about him. wink-wink nudge-nudge

**Summary**: Jesira is captured! Now, Kagura may have Sesshoumaru all to herself, especially when he is in his weakened state. Will his fevered Heat cloud his thoughts and mind beyond his control? Kagura has plans for Sesshoumaru, as well as for Jesira. She knows what she must do in order to get what she wants.

**Chapter Four  
Jesira Captured**

Sesshoumaru cursed at himself for allowing this to happen--of all the times for Kagura to attack! A weak, worthless demon maiden like Kagura would normally be of no object to Sesshoumaru. He had let his guard down; he had let her voice penetrate his sheild. Now, Naraku was with her, with the Shikkon Jewel. No doubt he'd use her to lure all sorts of demons to become one with his body. Sesshoumaru could not allow that to happen.

Of course, he thought, this could be a good thing. When she sings, he could come for her and destroy Naraku once and for all. Sesshoumaru could never forgive Naraku for slaying Jaken, for kidnapping Rin--and now for stealing away Jesira.

**_Sesshoumaru..._** came a familiar voice suddenly. **_Isn't that what you wanted?_**

It was the voice of his mother, Hanabata. She was calling him to her chambers, to the place she had both lived and died. He walked into the Estate as if in a trance, down the hallway, up the stairs, a right, another right, up another flight of stairs and follow the hall until you reached the Eastern sunroom.

**_Sesshoumaru..._** came his mother's voice again. **_You wanted her to lure Naraku to you._**  
Slowly, gingerly, he knelt and slid open the shojii screen. He could still see the white lanterns in the shadows of her room. His father had hung those lanterns as a symbol of mourning for his mother when she died. Her spirit, however, seemed to remain trapped within that room.

**_Sesshoumaru... _**she called to her son. **_It's the only thing she was good for. You thought so yourself..._**

He could see her in a faint outline, sitting on the bed. In the mirror, though, her prized possession and dowry gift, she was perfectly preserved. Her reflection was just as it had always been, blindingly beautiful with hair of snow white. She was sitting on the bed, combing her hair with that same blue comb. She smiled when she saw her son, brushing away her hair to reveal the blue crescent moon upon her brow.

**_"Come to me, my son... my killing perfection."_**

Sesshoumaru obediently came and bowed his head gently.

She motioned with long green nails in the mirror and patted the spot next to her on the bed's reflection. **_"Sit with me, and we shall talk as we once did. I'll comb your hair, just like I used to. Do you remember, my perfect one?"_**

Sesshoumaru nodded, feeling a little dizzy still from the Heat. He slowly came to the bed and sat down. Looking into the mirror, he could see his own reflection, sitting next to the reflection of his mother. She smiled gently, her eyes slanted, the color of the deep night sky. She gingerly stroked his cheek and kissed his nose as if she were there. With bony fingers and her magic comb, she began to comb Sesshoumaru's long white hair. He could feel it--her fingers, her comb...even though she wasn't really there.

**_"What a beautiful son I have," _**said Hanabata, her voice like a whisper in the wind. The green of her long nails ran through Sesshoumaru's hair gently, soothingly. She easily loved Sesshoumaru better than Inutaishou, her mate. **_"You must go, Sesshoumaru," _**she said. **_"Naraku will not expect you so soon. If the girl's voice is so powerful, he will want to use it. Then again," _**said she, bringing Sesshoumaru to look at her, **_"if she is beautiful, Naraku will rape her first. No doubt a low, useless demon such as Naraku would stoop to bedding with a human and give into his lusty desires. But not you, my son, you are patient and strong. You will lay with only the finest of demons, like your father once did with me. I suppose that when I died he had no choice but to hit rock bottom... It's unfortunate, however, that your father's grief led to an illegitimate half-demon. Don't you think, my perfect one?"_**

Sesshoumaru turned his head and stared at nothing in front of him, but his reflection stared at his mother's face, the epitome of demonic beauty.

She smiled, her lips curling up like a bow, her eyes slanting even further. **_"Is she beautiful, Sesshoumaru? I have yet to see her up close..."_**

He shook his head. "She's nothing compared to you, mother."

She laughed, her voice ringing like tiny bells in a high, tinky echo about the haunted chamber.

**_"You are so cold, like ice, Sesshoumaru--ice is water's perfect moment, Sesshoumaru. It becomes clear, beautiful, no ugly ripples or distorting wrinkles. I love ice when it freezes like glass. If that girl were to hear you say she was not beautiful, her heart would shatter like ice. I know this...and I know that you think she IS beautiful, so you lie to me."_**

"Mother, I would never lie to you!" insisted Sesshoumaru.

Hanabata nodded, placing her hands in her lap and looked straight out from the mirror. **_"Intentionally, no." _**She turned back to look Sesshoumaru's reflection in the face. **_"Wait a while before setting out to listen for her tortured screams. Until then, sit with me. It has been a long time since we've talked, you and I?" _**She pulled his reflection close to her, Sesshoumaru feeling the warmth of his mother's dead embrace. He leaned in, just as his reflection did, and held his head at her shoulder, finding the comfort he'd not had for nearly 500 years. **_"My darling, my perfect one...do you have any idea how beautiful you are?"_**

He sighed. "Mother..."

**_"Your fever...you'll soon be in Heat, won't you?"_**

Sesshoumaru blushed and cast his eyes away.

**_"Do not let the Heat dictate your actions, my perfect one. You have control over anything you set your mind to."_**

"I know.." Sesshoumaru said.

Hanabata smiled. **_"I know you know...and it is a Mother's Duty to remind you of such things." _**She kissed his forehead, their reflections in a tender embrace, Sesshoumaru's body leaning into nothing but air. It would be an eerie sight indeed for any to walk in on. **_"Your demon markings...they remind me so much of your father... He was a good demon, a powerful demon,"_** said Hanabata as she stroked her son's silvery hair. **_"but you, my beauty, you are perfection. Your father was not without flaws, of course, but he was powerful. You are powerful and perfect, a true demon. I have named you well, my killing perfection."_**

"I miss you, Mother... I know that I shouldn't."

**_"That's right, you shouldn't."_** She tilted her son's chin up to face her. **_"Do you remeber the day I died, my perfect one? The day you made me a promise? Of course you do. Remind me again what you promised me."_**

"I promised that I would never shed a tear for you, and I haven't."

She kissed him again in the forehead. **_"My Sesshoumaru...my sweet, killing perfection. You haven't forgotten me at all, have you?"_**

He shook his head. "I could never forget you, mother."

**_"Good,"_** she said, kissing him once more. **_"Now then, why don't you go and kill Naraku. Bring his head back for me as a trophy, would you, my perfect one?"_**

Sesshoumaru rose and nodded, their reflections lightly kissing, Sesshoumaru himself kissing air. He walked out of the jasmine-scented room, the entire place had not lost its sheen and brightness over the half-millenia. The servants still kept it clean and orderly, just as Hanabata had liked it.

Hanabata was the seventh daughter of a powerful moon demon, who could transform into a giant serpent in the light of the full moon. The blue crescent moon upon their brows was a symbol of this god-like heritage, as was their beautiful looks and deadly poison. Her long fingernails were pulsing with venom twice as deadly as Sesshoumaru's; her eyes of midnight blue were hazy with visions of the world beyond. Hanabata was sought to be the epitome of demonic beauty in Inutaishou's time, and that was why he had chosen her as a mate. A demon of supreme power, after all, must have a supreme beauty by his side. Oh, and Hanabata was not only a demonic beauty--she was also a fierce killer. Every battle she would emerge from, she would be soaked in her enemy's blood, laughing gleefully.

'She laughs,' his father would say, 'because they have chosen the wrong opponent.'

Hanabata loved the feeling of water, of blood, of being soaked and emerged in water. Sesshoumaru would often spend many an afternoon of his childhood in her lap as they watched the rain together on the veranda of the Estate. Together, as two white demons, they would run into the rain and get happily soaked in it, letting the wonderful water wash everything away. Hanabata loved the fresh and clean smell that would come after every rain. She was quite picky, in fact, about things being cleaned. Even the garments of white she would soak herself in blood with must be stark white and clean the next day. At his youngest years and memories, Sesshoumaru remembered being picked up and thrown into the rainy air, caught again in his mother's arms. Every time it rained, Sesshoumaru must be there, out beneath the clouds, letting it wash everything away. In the rain, there was freedom. Hanabata had always said that about it, ever since before he could remember...

As he walked he began to think that Hanabata was right. Jesira was only there as a lure for Naraku, nothing more, nothing less. Sesshoumaru did think she was beautiful, and that she had a very pretty voice, but that was probably because he would soon be in Heat... Yes, that had to be it. Sesshoumaru would _never_ fall for a lowly human girl--and one that wasn't even fully Japanese! No, Sesshoumaru would have no part of that. No part at all.

-----------

Naraku looked up when Jesira entered, still wearing the clothes that Sesshoumaru had given her. She glared at him angrily.

"I thought you were changing..." purred Naraku at the thought of her naked body.

"I like my clothes from Sesshoumaru," she snapped, "and I would like to go back."

He stood, his kimono gathered at the waist of his pants. His lithe and pale body gave an eerie glow in the dim candlelight of his castle. "First," he cooed, "you will do a little favor for me..." He tried to reach out and caress her face, but she angrily turned away, her long wavy hair whipping like willow branches as she spun her head. He slipped his arms around her waist, despite her angry struggling and cursing.

"Get your filthy hands off me, you pervert!" she shouted.

"Shhhh...my angel, no yelling... You wouldn't want to harm that _beautiful_ voice of yours, would you?"

Jesira blinked. "My voice?"

"You mean you haven't noticed?" asked Naraku as he turned her around to face him. "You, my love, have the voice of a thousand angels. You have the power to lure all demon men to wherever you are singing. Humans great and small must succumb to the power of your voice and sing along with you. You have no idea of the power you have..."

She looked away, trying very hard to stay angry, rather than intrigued.

"What, Sesshoumaru hasn't told you this?" He smirked. "Well, let me fill you in on a little secret..." Naraku's arms became long vines that ensnared her lean body and brought her close. He whispered gingerly in her ear. "Sesshoumaru only wanted you to be a lure for me."

"What?" Jesira asked. "Sesshoumaru wouldn't do that!"

"Oh, come now, my love--"

"Stop calling me that!"

"You don't _really_ believe that Sesshoumaru kept you around because he enjoyed your company? The only reason he has that girl-child Rin around is because she once cared for him when he was injured--Sesshoumaru is indebted her for that. Tell me, my siren, what have _you_ ever done for Sesshoumaru to make him want you? He is the most prejudiced demon you'll ever find!"

Jesira backed away as Naraku released her, letting her mind scramble for an answer. Sesshoumaru couldn't have done that...could he? He was cold...he was cruel...he was heartless...but she knew that they had been pleasant together, and she knew that he knew this as well. She knew that he could feel it--she knew that he had blushed when he tried to compliment her about looking better with her hair down... No, this can't be true...can it?

"What do you want from me?" she demanded suddenly.

"Sing."

The command caught her by surprise. Naraku went and sat on a great cushion throne.

"Sing," he said again. "Show us your power. Maybe then Sesshoumaru would come and rescue you?"

"That's what you want, though, isn't it?" said Jesira, clenching her fists. "I've heard about you, Naraku, the demon that absorbs the bodies and powers of other demons to gain strength. You're nothing but a lowly leech--and you expect me to sing to lure more demons for you? More powers? Sesshoumaru? Never! I'll never sing for you!"

Naraku frowned, giving a little growl. He rose to his feet, coming to Jesira. She assumed a fighting stance.

"Come and get me!" she said.

He laughed, his thin and pale lips curling into a wry grin, his long limbs reaching out for her. She quickly bad his hand away and hit him across the face with an outside crescent kick. Jesira ran out of the room before he could stand again, holding up the long fabrics of her kimono to her knees. Turning the corner down the hallway, she was stopped by the sight of a ghost! No, not a ghost...a demon girl, with hair of white and a heart-freezing gaze.

"I am Kanna," she said. "Naraku, he wants you. You should go back now."

Jesira cringed at her voice--this girl reminded her all too much of the children in The Shining. She turned and ran back the other way, Naraku appearing in front of her suddenly in the corridor, ensnaring her in web-like fibers. She shouted and cursed, but to no avail. Naraku laughed at her suffering, taking great pleasure in the sight of her writhing body. He took her into his arms as she was completely swaddled from shoulder to thigh in the tight webs. Lean arms carried her into what appeared to be Naraku's bedchambers. He tossed her on the bed as if she weighed nothing at all.

"You will not sing for me, angel?" he asked, throwing his kimono to the floor and approaching her. Webs tied her ankles down as he slid his hand up her leg. Jesira's heart pounded in fear--she was going to be raped. "Perhaps, then, you'll scream--then Sesshoumaru will hear you. And when he does, I will absorb his demonic power into my body."

Angry tears came to her eyes as she growled lividly. "You won't get away with this!" she hissed through clenched teeth.

He came and slid his hand about her neck, coming closer. "The more you resist, the more it will hurt. Besides, Sesshoumaru will never care for you the way I will. You want to get home, don't you?" He smiled when she looked up. "That's right, I can help you get home. Just...sing for me for a few days or so...and I promise I will send you home when I have no more use for your voice. Or, well," he chuckled, "we could always do this the hard way." He ran his tongue along her ear, shuddering in pleasure. She jerked her head away.

"If I sing for you," Jesira began, "you promise you won't hurt me or Sesshoumaru?"

"Sesshoumaru? I cannot guaruntee that...after all, he comes looking for me. If I can find a demon to absorb more powerful than Sesshoumaru, well..." He ran his long fingers along her thigh, now exposed through the kimono. Jesira jerked away.

"You _promise_ to send me right home?"

"Of course!" said Naraku. "Anything you desire. All you have to do is use that pretty voice of yours to lure me some powerful demons. Do we have a deal?"

Jesira looked at him, a pale, lithe young body with a pretty young face had never seemed so disgusting in her entire life. This lecherous creep... "It seems I don't have any other choice, do I?" she said bitterly. "Coersion is the worst form of manipulation!" She looked away, the spider webs melting off the fine silk Sesshoumaru had given her. She felt Naraku' shands on her shoulders.

"I know you think I'm a monster, Jesira, and I know that you're very frightened--"

"I am not frightened of anything."

"But you are. You're frightened I'll do horrible things to you or that I might kill Sesshoumaru, even though your worry for him puzzles me to no extent. When has Sesshoumaru shown you any affection? Any friendship? Anything but that cold disposition of his? What makes you want to protect him? Is a warm bed and some new clothes really worth all that loyalty?"

He's right, she thought--Sesshoumaru's never shown...kindness, has he? Only ettiquette and formality. No... You can't think this, Jes, you just can't... Sesshoumaru may be cold, but he's not crazy!

Naraku kissed her shoulder. "I'll let you calm down for awhile and check on you later." He rose and left. A few moments passed when that frightening girl all in white came.

"What's your name?" she asked.

She sighed, cradling herself with her hands. "... _Ryutoinu Jesira desu_..." She looked up through teary eyes. "You're Kanna?"

The girl nodded. "You'd best do what Naraku says, _Hime_, at least until Sesshoumaru comes for you."

Jesira scoffed, a sudden bitterness rising to her heart. "Sesshoumaru comes for me, huh? As if he cared in the first place." She paused. "Did you just call me Princess?"

"Don't believe Naraku," said Kanna. "He only says things in order to get what he wants. He holds us captive with fear and with pain. My sister incarnate Kagura is the worst--Naraku keeps her heart in a box and threatens to squeeze it until it stops if she does not do exactly what he says."

She looked up, the loose waves of her hair falling over her shoulder. "Her heart? Her actual heart?" It all seemed so illogical, yet this was feudal Japan, and it did appear that demons and faerie tales were actually real at some point. Superstition, it seemed, was truly based on fact.

"Don't trust Kagura either," said Kanna. "She is in love with Sesshoumaru, and hopes that getting you away from him will let her get close. Her plan is to lead him here--then when he finds you dead, she'll move in."

Jesira gasped. "Finds me dead?"

"That's what Naraku will probably do to you if Sesshoumaru comes. He will kill you in front of him in order to get what he wants. Naraku does these things with no remorse."

"... I see..."

"I hope I didn't upset you too bad... You should probably start singing soon, though, just not for Sesshoumaru." With those words, Kanna left.

"Don't be upset, eh?" She growled and groaned, beating the floor with her fist. "Stupid stupid stupid!" she screamed. "I hate this! Augh!" She flopped back on the bed, suddenly feeling filthy. "Sesshoumaru...even if you don't care...just get me out of here..." As she said this, she could feel Grandmother's pearls and gem glowing warmly.

_"Your wish..." _came a voice _"is my command..."_

---------

The black beads surrounding the gem glistened with the reflected light. Grandmother looked over at the Shrine of her husband, Junichiro Ryutoinu, who had once been her _dannu_. The half...the broken half of the jewel was glowing for its partner. She looked through her wrinkles at her husband's portrait.

"So," said she in Japanese to herself. "That is where Jesira-chan has gone? You were truly right with your tales of being spirited away, my husband?" The gem disappeared from the shrine's altar, seeming to fade away. Grandmother looked up. "The cycle has begun again. Just like with you and I, Junichiro." She came and rung the little bell at the shrine and prayed to her husband's picture. "I will tell Hotohori-san at once not to worry, as Jesira-chan should be home soon."

-----------

Sesshoumaru walked alone, regardless of what Jaken had asked. Jaken had to stay and guard the Estate in his absence, and may just be in his way when he faced Naraku. Though fevered with his desires, Sesshoumaru would remain strong through his scattered thoughts, the desires of his flesh. It would be a challenge, though, as he had never left the Estate when he was in Heat before. The few times he had gone into Heat, he usually locked himself in his room or went away for a few days to let it pass. Though they were few and far between, they were quite a burden--especially now.

A flash of white light suddenly came from nowhere--it seemed to become from beneath his feet! He was dazzled for a moment, his eyes going red into his demonic form, but then subsided once he realized that there was nobody around. He glanced about, sniffing the air, then looked down. A string of precious black pearls hung about his neck, along with the other half of the Shikkon no Tama. He held it between clawed fingers--it looked to be the other half of Jesira's jewel. How was this possible, though? He knew that Inuyasha and his girl-wench had a good amount of jewel shards, and that Naraku had the rest.

He then remembered: Jesira came from the future. Perhaps the Shikkon no Tama had found its way to Jesira's family throughout the centuries, and was now a family heirloom? If that was the case, then there were two Shikkon no Tamas in this time, now. One belonging to Jesira and himself, and the other that had been scattered over Japan. But why had this jewel come to him now? Did Jesira's jewel call it here? If it did, then why should Sesshoumaru get it instead of going straight to Jesira? Surely she needed the other half. He removed the necklace from his throat and held it to the light with his claw. The pale pink of the jewel shined brightly and filled the forest with a sheet of light, that came in thinner and thinner until it drew a line that pointed due South.

"Jesira...?" he breathed. "This jewel-half is leading me to yours, isn't it?" As he put the necklace back on, the light faded, and he recalled a concept from the Mainland, from China, called Yin and Yang. It was a concept of balance, of the middle way. Yin could not exist without Yang, and Yang could not exist without Yin. Only in perfect harmony could they both exist. A romantic concept, thought Sesshoumaru, glorifying balance. Father had said that too, that a warrior must be balanced, be hard yet soft, stand firm yet sway in the breeze.

**_"You're too hungry, Sesshoumaru... Will power really make you complete?"_**

"Father..."

He put these thoughts aside and walked South, over the hills steadily, over the rocks carefully. He began to think about what his mother's apparition said to him, and what his father's words had meant to him. 'Will power really make you complete?' Complete...I am complete--I need no one. I have my own yin and yang, no need for Jesira's...

But, he thought, in the instance she was attacked, you were angry. You were scared. He gave a muffled sigh. In the very short time they had been together, it seemed that she had stirred thoughts within him that none other had. Stirring thoughts of his mother and her music, stirring thoughts of his father and his advice... And yet she was a mere human girl...that he had thought to be very pretty. Could it be that it wasn't the Heat? Could it be that he was really and truly attracted to a human girl like Jesira?

A gentle breeze came. Kagura appeared on the path in front of him, smiling and holding her fan like Jesira had done earlier that morning. "Sesshoumaru..." she said.

A sudden wave of Heat came over him, but the jewel released a cool vapor to make it subside. The jewel had a mind of its own, trying to keep Sesshoumaru on his path. It was probably because the jewel would pull him to Jesira until she was found.

"I see you're going to take on Naraku? You've come sooner than I expected. I suppose you really want her back?" She cocked her head. "Or is she really just a ploy to get closer to Naraku? I never expected you to use a human like that, Sesshoumaru." She held out her hand. "If you're really planning on taking on Naraku, why not team up with me?"

Sesshoumaru glared. "Are you jealous, Kagura?" The words were shocking to him, even as they spilled from his lips he was shocked. He never meant to say that... He looked down. Was the jewel telling him to say these things? It felt deeper than that, though...like the jewel was delving into his own thoughts.

She blinked. "Jealous? Of what?"

He shook his head. "Out of my way. I have no need of your assistance--I can and will take out Naraku on my own."

Kagura frowned, an angry flush coming to her face.

"You were going to betray Naraku?" he asked. Sesshoumaru looked up. "Speak of the Devil..."

She gasped. "Naraku!"

"So, Kagura, you were going to betray me?" He held his hand up, squeezing hard at a bloody mass of something. Kagura froze and gasped, going all white. She clutched her chest and fell to the ground, huddling in the fetal position, crying in pain. "Oh, does it _hurt_ when I squeeze your heart like that?" He threw it into his pocket as Kagura passed out from the pain. "Sesshoumaru, I didn't expect you so soon..."

Sesshoumaru growled, an eerie wind blowing all around him and through his hair.

Naraku looked down at the necklace. "Is that a Shikkon jewel shard?"

"Half," said Sesshoumaru.

"The other half belongs to the songbird?" he asked. He laughed. "I see...so does that mean you actually want her back? Or is it only to kill her in order to find the other half of the sacred jewel for yourself."

Sesshoumaru growled. "I have no need of the sacred jewel--it is useless to a full demon like myself. An inferior demon like you, however, I can see why you'd want it."

He laughed maniacally. "Sesshoumaru, I would have said it was a chore bringing you here, but capturing your human Jesira was absolutely delicious. Funny, you and I wanted her as the same thing--bait." He came out from underneath the baboon pelt and revealed his true form, a human torso with thousands of demon legs and tentacles like an octopus.

"Hmph," said Sesshoumaru. "So, Naraku, that is your true form? A sad patch-work of demonic trash."

"The real me?" Naraku repeated. "No, this form is only a work-in-progress." A branch-like tentacle came and slashed at Sesshoumaru, but he had leapt out of the way before it hit the ground. Thick green arms came at him like monsters. With Tokijin in hand, Sesshoumaru quickly slashed off the arms and landed gracefully on his feet. His powerful thighs pushed him forward as he slashed quickly at Naraku's side, making his human torso fall slightly.

"You second-rate demon... You'll never lay a hand on Sesshoumaru." He growled as he raised Tokijin. "Behold, Dragon Strike!" Lightning of blue came forth from black clouds in a great and powerful twister of lightning that struck Naraku and destroyed over half of his manor. He looked at Tokijin as Naraku slowly regrouped at Sesshoumaru's ankles. Had he really mastered his new sword so quickly? He remembered that he wasn't like Inuyasha, that it would be natural for him to be a fast learner. The black beads were glowing as was his Shikkon half. Naraku's body was forming around Sesshoumaru. He angrily slashed away at it, being careful not to slash at his own legs.

Naraku regrouped and appeared out of the gelantinous mass of his many arms and legs. "Sesshoumaru..." said he as more of the arms rose up from the ground. "Become one with my body!"

"NO!"

A piercing sound came, causing the ground to shake. Naraku screamed, covering his own ears. Sesshoumaru looked up when the scream stopped. It was Jesira, standing from the tower. Her voice must have caused it. Whenever she screams, her siren-like powers must cause a sound blast to paralyze an enemy.

Naraku looked up at her. "Disloyal wench!" he cried. A beige claw came towards her. Her eyes went wide and she instinctively put up her arms to make an X-block. A barrier appeared just at her arms that shattered Naraku's claw. She looked around confused.

"Sesshoumaru!" she called. "You have the other half of the family jewel?"

The two jewel halves glowed violently. A rope of light came from each to meet in the middle and pulled Jesira off the balcony; it was too quick for her to even scream about it. Instinctively she flipped and landed hard on the ground just as Sesshoumaru was running to catch her. He looked at her questioningly. Another giant sheild came about the two as the jewels became closer to burn Naraku's tentacle.

Sesshoumaru's eyes glowed red as he leapt from the sheild to deliver another powerful slash of his sword Tokijin. He landed and saw a great slash going through Naraku's body. When he looked, it was Jesira, wielding a katana of black steel. It looked to be made of obsidian.

"Akuga!" Naraku cried at the sword's slash.

"Sorry, is this sword yours, Naraku?" asked Jesira with a wry smirk, glad to have the upperhand. "Well it's mine now!" The jewel glowed violently as she drove the sword into the ground. "Hell fire!" She shouted the attack as a great crack formed in the earth, lava coming up from the crack and burning Naraku's body.

"Dragon Strike!" shouted Sesshoumaru, bursting Naraku into fleshy bits, his entire body exploding with light and miasma. Sesshoumaru held up his arm as Jesira ran into his chest, a great barrier forming around the two. When the miasma died down, Naraku was flying away with the _Sanyosho_ bugs in a mist.

"_Sesshoumaru-sama to Jesira-hime..._ I fear I must retreat today...but I will have your demonic powers, and your voice for my own."

White hair flared up in anger as gold eyes glowed red. "_Baka!_ You think you can run from me!"

"He's gone?" asked Jesira, not realizing that they were still in each other's arms.

Sesshoumaru looked down at Jesira, his eyes calming, his grip softening. She turned back to meet his eyes.

"What?"

"Where did you learn that?"

She assumed he meant the sword. She looked down at the black katana in her hand. "I...am not really sure. Just instinct, I guess."

The strength of a demoness, Sesshoumaru thought. Gentle, yet strong... Very strong. I have never seen the kind of ferocity and fearlessness come from any human woman. Not even Inuyasha's women. Kagome is easily frightened, Sango is easily distracted. Jesira is...almost as focused and instinctual as I am. Mastering a sword she had just picked up was completely amazing for anyone--even a demon. What gave her this power? Was it the jewels? The Shikkon no Tama only enhanced certain traits one already had...What if she wasn't this amazing without it? He was snapped out of his daze by Jesira quickly and sharply throwing both her arms around his waist, nuzzling her cheek to his chest.

"I'm so happy you're safe!" she said gleefully. "I was so scared that Naraku would get you..."

"Hmph," scoffed Sesshoumaru. "Naraku isn't good enough to be my enemy, what a waste of time."

She pulled away and looked at him. "If it was such a waste of time, then...why did you come?"

He looked up to see Naraku was completely gone, his scent carried away by the wind. Damn... He turned away and began walking out of the ruined manor. "Ridiculous..."

Jesira smiled. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught Kanna. She gave a courteous nod, remembering her manners before happily following Sesshoumaru. She looked at the gleaming black sword; it seemed to be surrounded by an air of danger. Jesira took out the sheathe she had found the sword in and tied it around her chest to it fell at her back. After a few moments of walking, Sesshoumaru saw her beamingly shy smile.

"... ... ... What?" he finally asked.

"You like me," she said half accusingly, half playfully.

"What?"

"You like me!" she laughed. "Oh come on, admit it! You like having me around."

"Not right now... You're annoying me."

She giggled. "I'm annoying but he li-ikes me!" sang she in a very "Guys and Dolls" style.

"Jesira..."

"I'm annoying but he cares..." She danced behind him with jazz hands. She laughed. "Oh come on, I'm only fooling with you."

"Hmph."

Jesira blinked. "Sesshoumaru!" she called. "Would your head _explode_ if you showed any signs of a sense of humor?" She ran out in front of him and walked backwards to keep his eye contact. "Hey, I'm just trying to say '_domo arigatou gozaimasu_' for what you did earlier today. I can't think of any other time I was so scared... For a moment, I even thought you weren't coming, but then..."

"But then what?" he asked.

She shrugged her shoulders. "I dunno, I just had this feeling, like a pull towards outside, you know?" She clasped the jewel with her long dancer's fingers. "It's just comforting to know that you rescued me."

Comfort, eh? He blinked and kept on walking, Jesira finally turning around and walking beside him. Comfort, he repeated in his mind. A pull...the sacred jewel... That must have been it. What other explaination could there be?

For a long time they walked, through the forest, through the plains, the entire time Jesira keeping his pace. She was a fast walker, too, with plenty of stamina. He remembered that her city was full of steep hills, so naturally she'd be able to keep up with him if she was used to such uneven terrain. They reached the middle of a deep forest. Sesshoumaru stopped in front of a giant oak tree, gazing at it like it was sparking a distant memory

"Oh! Sesshoumaru!" she said, reaching into the deep sleeve of the kimono he'd given her. "That reminds me--I have something for you."

She took out a long and thin mass all wrapped in purple silk and cradled it like a child as she unwrapped it. Sesshoumaru gasped--it was his left arm.

"I found it in Naraku's bedroom. I guess he was planning on using it for another one of his experiments. I've been thinking... If I sew on your arm with a bit of my human hair, it will protect you from Tetsusaiga's barrier."

In the face of danger and adversity, Jesira was thinking of me? He thought for a long time, just standing there as Jesira held out his left arm. It would easily reattatch by itself, but...with her natural power strengthened by the Shikkon jewel, then perhaps it would give him enough of a human air to wield it. He shrugged, thinking that it couldn't do any harm.

Jesira smiled. "Great!" She pulled a needle from her hair as they both sat at the oak tree's base. With a tiny nick of Akuga, a locke of her hair fell loose from the nape of her neck. Sesshoumaru removed his armour and dropped one side of his layered silks to reveal his pale and slender physique, as well as the sliced nub of his left arm.

The entire procedure took about an hour, but Sesshoumaru felt like it was much longer. All the while she sewed his arm with the strands of her ebon hair, he stared at her from the corner of his eye. He wandered over her every feature, every flaw, every perfection. She truly was beautiful, even though he hated to admit it. Ryutoinu Jesira was beautiful, strong, patient, courageous--everything that a human was not to him.

She caught him staring at her once. She smiled and went back to her sewing.

"Jesira?"

She glanced up. "Yeah?"

"I've just noticed...your teeth...they're a little bit crooked on the bottom."

Jesira blinked, looking back down. "I'll get them fixed.."

"I like them crooked."

She looked at him, wide-eyed with surprise. She smiled with a tiny laugh as she went back to her sewing. "I'll leave them."

He smiled inwardly as he looked back out. Everything seemed to move so slowly, so calmly, like music was dancing with the wind. Sesshoumaru then realized that Jesira was singing softly under her breath. Though he did not understand the language, he could hear it was very beautiful.

"_Hands touch..._

_Eyes meet.._

_Sudden silence,_

_Sudden heat--_"

She looked up. "_Gomen_," she said, blushing.

"You don't have to stop," he said, half whispering.

She smiled as she began to sing, a little louder this time.

"_Hearts leap, in a giddy whirl..._

_He could be thaaat boy,_

_I'm not that girl..._"

The forest's dappled light seemed to dance on her hair.

"_Don't dream_

_too far..._

_Don't lo-ose sight of_

_Who you are..._

_Don't remember that rush of joy..._

_He could be thaaaa-at boy,_

_I'm not that girl._"

Sesshoumaru looked up as birds sang with her. The forest bowed to the power of her voice--and so did he. He closed his eyes and leaned his head against the bark as the pricking against his skin was balanced with the song.

"_Ev'ry so often, _

_We long to steal to the land of what might have been..._

_But that doesn't soften_

_The ache we feel, when reality sets back in..._"

She smiled as she continued. It was like singing Sesshoumaru to sleep!

"_Blithe smile,_

_Lithe limb..._

_She was winsome,_

_She wins him..._

_Gold hair, with a gentle cuuuurl._

_That's the girl he chose,_

_And heaven knows..._

_I'm not that gi-irl._"

Jesira looked up at him through her eyelashes, almost sad as she watched him rest.

"_Don't wish._

_Don't start._

_Wishing only_

_Wounds the heart..._

_I wasn't born for the rose a-and the pearls..."_

She took in a breath.

"_There's a girl I know..._

_He loves her..so..._

_I'm not... that girl..._"

She bit off the remaining hair with her teeth. The arm's flesh seemed to push and smoothe itself out as her hair vanished entirely into his skin. The arm was healed completely as if it had never been cut off. She sighed and leaned her head against his shoulder. His skin felt hot to the touch--was Sesshoumaru getting sick?

Jesira felt his cheek with the back of her hand. He _did_ have a fever! Sesshoumaru had said that demons do not fall ill...but perhaps it was mere over exertion? She closed her eyes and leaned her cheek on his shoulder, hoping that he'd get better soon. He deserved a good rest; a good, long rest.

* * *

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! huff-puff huff-puff Kawaii! lol Cuteness! Is Sesshoumaru really falling for Jesira? Could he possibly love a human? What of the new and mysterious sword called Akuga--or Fang of Evil? What will happen now? Now that Naraku is taking a break to recooperate, will their passion blossom as Sesshoumaru descends even further into Heat? Find out on the next chapter of No One Mourns the Wicked!

PS, the song "I'm not that Girl" is from the Wicked Soundtrack of the broadway musical. Check it out!


	6. Heat

**Disclaimer:** Just for the sake of saying it, I don't own Sesshoumaru, so stop reminding me you cold-hearted thunder-cunts! (sobs uncontrollably)

**Summary:** KAWAII! So, yea, Sesshoumaru fell asleep beneath the tree while Jesira and he were relaxing together. Sesshy now has his left arm back(huzzah!) and is now possibly ready to take the Tetsusaiga from Inuyasha. Now, Jesira has her own sword--the Akuga--and is back at the house with Sesshoumaru. Bad things are happening, though, as Sesshoumaru has come down with a strange 'illness' that nobody in the house will explain to her. But YOU know! wink-wink nudge-nudge Ok, on w/ the story...

**Chapter Five**

**Heat**

Inuyasha came to the castle, the barrier already broken, and the manor in its entirety in shreds of its former self. In surprise, he angrily sniffed the air and cursed at what was there. "Damn you, Sesshoumaru!" he cried. He knelt and pounded a clawed fist into the ground, leaning on the transformed Tetsusaiga for support. Sango and Miroku looked around the castle.

"Surely Sesshoumaru couldn't have done all this?" Sango asked.

"I don't know, Sango, " said Miroku, making his way through the debris with Shippou on his shoulder. "Sesshoumaru is a full-blooded demon and a powerful one at that."

"Who cares about stupid Sesshoumaru!" said Inuyasha. "Come on out here Naraku!"

Kagome stepped forward. "Inuyasha, Naraku's not here. His aura and his jewel shards are gone--" She gasped, feeling a great and powerful pull. The Shikkon no Tama was whole! She looked down at the jewel shards in her bottle, seeing that all of her shards were there. How could this be? How could the Shikkon no Tama be complete? She then remembered Jesira, her jewel, her story...

**_"This old jewel? It's a family heirloom. My grandfather wore the other half of it when he was alive, though don't ask me why. The jewel is kind of funny-looking if you ask me."_**

_**"But if the Shikkon no Tama has come into your possession, what does that mean for the Shikkon no Tama in our time? Is it still there?"**_

_**"I'm not sure. It must be--it's that whole theory of time travel. Just because I'm here, doesn't mean the other must disappear... Of course, I'm not quite used to bending the time space continuem every day..."**_

Kagome held her jewel shards as the others went about their business. If she felt the jewel here--the whole thing. Did that mean that the other half had somehow made it here? Perhaps Jesira had wished for it. The Shikkon no Tama had the power to grant wishes, to enhance ablities. Perhaps the powers had grown over the years, and only half of it was required to grant wishes. She had said that the day she appeared in feudal Japan, she had wished to be saved from those thugs--and it came true. She was transported back in time to be saved. But why here in particular? Why to Sesshoumaru? Was it he that was supposed to collect all of the jewel shards in the end? Was this the reason Naraku had fallen to him?

"Inuyasha, maybe we should just move on and forget about it for now."

"What? I ain't doin' that! Naraku is somewhere out there and we have to find him!"

"Wait, Inuyasha," interjected Miroku. "Kagome may be right. If Sesshoumaru has defeated Naraku, then he has most certainly bought us some time. Let's wait and restrategize for now. If anything, we should be grateful to Sesshoumaru for giving us some time off."

"Grateful! K'eh! Grateful to that snob--as if I'd ever be grateful to him!"

"Calm yourself, Inuyasha, Naraku cannot be dead. Look, I still have my wind tunnel. If you ask me, Naraku probably disappeared after Sesshoumaru defeated him to recooperate."

The dog demon twitched his ears and gave a grunt. "If Sesshoumaru's such a strong demon like you say he is, why didn't he just finish Naraku off and follow him?"

"He was here for Jesira."

Everyone looked up at Kagome's voice. She was looking down solemnly at the ground, clutching her Shikkon shards.

"What? Are you sure of that, Kagome?" asked Sango.

"Why would Sesshoumaru come here for a human girl like Jesira?" asked Shippou.

Miroku smirked. "Well, if you ask me, Sesshoumaru felt indebted to Jesira for saving him from Kagome's sacred arrow that day we met her. I'm sure that he came to repay her kindness by rescuing her from Naraku's clutches. Call it a hunch, but I'm starting to believe that Sesshoumaru isn't all that bad."

Inuyashasuddenly grew angry, his face flushing and his teeth showing. He wanted to punch Miroku in the face for saying something like that about his brother. Sesshoumaru? Not all that bad? What nerve! Sesshoumaru already had so much--he had wealth, looks, a fine education, Father's estate and title, everything that Inuyasha was denied. Inuyasha could barely read or write. The only thing that Inuyasha had to lay claim to his father's name was Tetsusaiga. Sesshoumaru wanted that, the greedy little bastard, and now he had to go and be kind-hearted? Now he had gone and defeated Naraku! Dammit!

He suddenly turned away and shouted to the sky. "I'm gonna get you for this, Sesshoumaru!"

* * *

Jesira woke up in her bedroom with Rin next to her, sleeping in her arms like her sister Waverly had done whenever she'd had a nightmare. As she sat up, Rin stirred and rubbed her eyes gently. Akuga was sheathed and propped up by her vanity, its power radiating from its hilt. She could feel, however, that it could be controlled and that she would control it. She stood up and brushed off her thin linen dress--the undergarment for her fine silk kimonos. Rin yawned and stood up too.

"I'm sorry if I woke you, Rin," said Jesira, walking to her vanity and combing her hair.

She shook her head and sat back down by Jesira's bed. "It's okay. I was waking up anyway."

Jesira smiled as she pinned her hair back slightly. "You know I'm kind of surprised that you didn't sleep with Sesshoumaru last night."

Rin shrugged as she sat by Jesira and watched her in the mirror. "_Sesshoumaru-sama_ likes to sleep alone most nights. I've never slept with him. Actually, I'm not sure if I've ever seen him sleep."

The young Geisha blushed gently. "He talks in his sleep," she said, dusting white powder on her face to give her a pale glow.

"Really?" Rin asked. She giggled and walked out of the room to find that the house was upside-down with chaos. As she walked, she could see the female servants nervously running about like frightened hens, shouting orders to each other as calmly as they could. She saw Saiyuri and ran after her. "Saiyuri!" called Rin. "What's going on!"

Saiyuri looked down at Rin as she tried to balance a pile of folded white towels. "_Sesshoumaru-sama_ is Fevered. It's never been this bad before, so we're trying our best to keep him calm." She ran off down the hall. Rin noticed that many of the women were stuffing their clothes with pillows to make themselves fat, and they were splashing paint over their faces to make themselves appear dark and ugly. Why would the girls want to be ugly?

Saiyuri came back a moment later to help Jesira get dressed. Rin followed and watched as she was adorned with all the fine silks of aristocracy. She liked Jesira--she thought that she was very beautiful. "Where's Sesshoumaru at?" Jesira asked as she was layered with light, airy blue, then tinted green, then pink with a blue obi and a big gold over-jacket kimono that fell loosely over it all. Upon the back was an embroidered white crane. Jesira left her hair down with only a few ornaments to keep it simple. Sesshoumaru seemed to like it down, so it covered her 'big ears.'

Rin shrugged. "I think he's still in his room."

Saiyuri suddenly blushed.

"Saiyuri?" Jesira asked. "What's wrong?"

She shook her head and bowed. "Nothing, _Jesira-sama_. If there is nothing else you need me for, I'll be on with my duties."

"Yes, of course..."

Saiyuri quickly left. Jesira thought for a moment. "I think Sesshoumaru might be sick," she said. "When I was with him yesterday, he felt warm, like he had a fever. I know that demons don't get sick, but perhaps he's just overexerted himself?"

Rin nodded. "Maybe we should check on _Sesshoumaru-sama_?"

She shook her head. "Let's just let him rest for awhile. We've all had a long journey. I think we should take this time to relax." She stretched. "Y'know what I think? We should go out and pick some flowers before breakfast!"

* * *

While they were talking, Sesshoumaru was writhing in the agony of his desires. His eyes were clenched shut in a frown, as where his teeth. He was so angry with himself that he wanted to tear his own hair out for letting it get this bad. Never before had the Heat been so intense, so agonizing, do deep. He wouldn't let it take control, however, he would learn from his father's mistakes and control his desires as best he could.

His desires...Jesira...

"No!" he screamed to himself as he flipped over and covered his head with pillows, gripping it tightly as the poison in his claws dripping into the pillow's fabric. "Stop it!" He shouted muffled words into the fine white pelts and blankets that made his bed. His mind was a torrent of passionate images, of things he'd never think of on his own. After all, Sesshoumaru's mantras were control and purity. There was nothing more disgusting and loathable than what he felt--it was how Inuyasha was concieved by his father. Sesshoumaru clenched his teeth and held his head as he had no choice but to arch his bag and let out a stifled moan.

"Damn!" he cursed hoarsely, tossing and turning between the blankets and sheets, digging his claws into the pelts and moaning again. If only he could stop it, if only he could sleep through it...if only he was sick.

His eyes flashed red. "That's it!" said he, his eyes fading back to glimmering gold. He flipped onto his back and flexed his claws, poisong dripping from the tips. In a heated fury, he slashed himself along his arms, dragged his claws across his chest, letting blood flow freely. He began panting, his vision becoming blurry and hazy, the room slowly spinning in a vision of white and gold. He closed his eyes and quickly dragged his claw along his thigh before flopping back to the bed. He glanced to his left--his arm was still there, it hadn't been a dream. It was now sewn on with her hair, her human hair to allow him to weild the Tetsusaiga. She had done so much for him, though he hadn't asked. What was her intention? Was she only repaying the hospitality she had been shown by him? Did she genuinely care?

"Jesira..."

The Shikkon no Tama half around his neck pulsed and glowed; a hazy vision came before his eyes of Jesira and Rin in the flower feild just to the east of the mansion. Their hair was shimmering gently in the dappled sunshine of the trees nearby, as the sun had yet to fully rise over the tree tops. Jesira stepped out and knelt to gather more flowers, the silks of her kimono fanning out like wings. Lilies, baby's breath, irises and daisies were gathered in her arms, a halo of flowers was weaved about in Rin's hair. The two of them looked so sweet, so happy, so beautiful together.

"Jesira..." he sighed again.

She seemed to look up for a moment when he said her name, almost as if she'd heard his voice. She then looked down and clutched her own half of the Shikkon no Tama. She sighed, suddenly becoming very sad. _"I wish I could let my family know I was all right..." _came her voice, even though her lips did not move.

What was this? Were they connected through the jewel? I wonder, thought Sesshoumaru, if she can hear my thoughts, too? I wonder...I hope she can't...

_"Rin, c'mere!"_ said Jesira as she walked into the forest. _"Hey, where'd you go?"_

Sesshoumaru followed the two through the vision, through the forest and ferns, through the dappled light from the canopy above. A bird's song here, a broken branch there; suddenly, a flash of red came, along with the barking voice of his half-demon half-brother.

_"Hey! Rin!"_ he barked, his angry face coming up to her. Jesira came soon behind.

_"Oh, Kagome,"_ she said. _"What are you doing here?"_

Kagome looked a little stunned to see Jesira. She stepped forward a little, only to be beaten by the monk.

_"Why, miss Jesira!"_ he said as he grasped her hand. _"You look even lovelier than when we first met. I'm Miroku, a pleasure to--"_

**THWACK!**

_"Miroku you lecher!"_ shouted the angry demon slayer called Sango.

_"Jesira, I thought I sensed a jewel shard here, so I..."_

_"Oh, I see..." _Jesira held her jewel half. _"I'm afraid I can't let you have it, though, as it's not from this time period. Besides, It's not even mine to give."_

_"I also sensed another big jewel shard nearby..."_

_"That one must be Sesshoumaru's half."_

_"Sesshoumaru's half?"_ asked Inuyasha, puffing out his chest and placing his hands on his hips. _"What the hell is Sesshoumaru doing with a half of the Shikkon jewel?"_

Jesira shrugged. _"My guess is that my half summoned the other half from my time to save me from Naraku's palace. Somehow it ended up with Sesshoumaru."_

Inuyasha growled. _"Showin' off by himself, damn him!" _He clenched a fist. _"All right, 'fess up--where's Sesshoumaru?"_

Jesira raised an eyebrow, Rin standing behind her. _"Why do you wanna know? His jewel shard has nothing to do with your search."_

_"I'm gonna get him for defeating Naraku--"_

Jesira groaned. _"Oh my God! Is this what it's about?" _she asked, very annoyed. _"Give it a rest and be happy that Naraku is defeated. That was your ultimate goal, wasn't it?"_

_"No way! I was supposed to defeat Naraku! I was supposed to get revenge for what he did to Kikyo and me!"_

She blinked. _"Are you serious?" _she asked. _"So Sesshoumaru beat you to it--you'll have to settle your score with him another day--he's still pretty tired from yesterday."_

_"Tired!"_ asked Inuyasha. _"The full-blooded arrogant prince demon, tired? I thought that 'his kind' didn't wear down--don't tell me he needs his beauty rest!"_

Jesira glared. _"You know, I've had just about enough of this whole 'Daddy didn't love me' bit. Okay, I get it--you two are jealous of each other! Just accept that your father is dead and forget about it!"_

_"Jealous! I ain't jealous of that pampered lap dog!"_

_"Of course you are! You're jealous of Sesshoumaru because he knew your father before he died and grew up with a family that loved him. Sesshoumaru is jealous of you because you were bestowed the Tetsusaiga, even though he's the first-born son and had to work and train hard to get that same kind of recognition."_

Inuyasha blinked, the entire party taken aback by Jesira's outburst.  
"Jesira..." said Sesshoumaru, half-questioning what she'd said, half-calling her to come close to him.

She turned and looked over her shoulder suddenly, as if she'd heard something. _"Okay, I'm coming,"_ she said. Jesira turned back to Inuyasha and friends. _"Listen, if you want to fight Sesshoumaru, come back later. In the mean time, I think the both of you should get over your grief and grow up." _She walked away with Rin at her side. _"Don't you dare follow me."_

The vision subsided, his jewel pulsing as the poison flowed deeper still through his open veins. Blood trickled and stained the sheets and furs upon his bed as his eyes grew heavy and his breathing grew more and more difficult. The room began to spin, began to grow cold and hazy. His body felt like it was losing heat, and yet it felt as if his arousal was growing stronger. What was happening?

He cursed at himself as he was lost in a sea of darkness. Why didn't he just get her home? He could have found Naraku by himself, he could have done without the Shikkon no Tama...he should have helped her get home, like he'd said he would. Now that she was here, he couldn't let her leave--as much as he hated to admit it, they were awkwardly good together, and the more time he spent around her, the more she fit the description of 'the perfect mate.' But what now? Would he make the same mistakes that his father had made? What about the wishes that his mother had for him? He had to do something, but what? If only he could think, if only he could do something...if only...if only...

* * *

Jesira rushed into the mansion, Rin trailing closely behind, trying to keep all of the flowers in her small arms as best as she could. As Jesira ran, she picked up speed and dropped all of the flowers on the way through the hall. Her heart had a sickly, desperate feeling, like a violent tug to Sesshoumaru's side.

"Sesshoumaru...!" she called as she climbed the stairs and down a few more halls to another set of stairs. Saiyuri, Okassan and many other servants were in the hall, some with food, some with towels, some clattering by Jesira's room and trying to keep it clean. She suddenly flung the screen open.

"_Jesira-sama_ no!" shouted Okassan.

Jesira was shocked to see Sesshoumaru lying beneath the blood-soaked sheets, slashmarks all across his chest and right leg, bitemarks on his hands and arms. His color was pale green, his cheeks flushed with a sickly red, his chest moist with a mixture of blood and his own poison.

"Oh my god, Sesshoumaru!" She ran to his side, kneeling in her fine silks and picking him up, bringing him to her chest, nuzzling his face. "Sesshoumaru, what's happened to you?"

Okassan came and examined him. She knelt on the other side of his bed. "He must have poisoned himself," she said, looking at his wounds.

"Poisoned himself?" she asked, cradling Sesshoumaru's frame in her arms. "What would he do that for?"

Okassan ordered a few girls to bring cloths and hot water. She held Sesshoumaru's right arm and examined the slash marks that were seeping a foul, green fluid that mixed with his blood. "Probably because he couldn't stand the Heat this time. Kari, bring some herbs and take Rin with you--it's never been this bad before, though..."

"Heat?" asked Jesira, feeling Sesshoumaru's forehead. "Wait--you mean...he was IN Heat?" Her face flushed violently, pushing herself away from him as much as she could while still holding onto him. "Ooooooooh God..."

Okassan nodded. "Yes. Every once and a while, _Sesshoumaru-sama _will lock the doors of his bedroom and stay inside for the duration of the Heat until it is over. He's always hated it because that is how _Inutaishou-sama_ concieved Inuyasha." She sighed as she began to clean Sesshoumaru's poisoned wounds, Jesira feeling his hot, mossy breath on her neck. "I suppose it was still in _Inutaishou-sama_'s period of grief for _Hanabata-sama_, his mate and Sesshoumaru's mother, when he went into heat and found the human woman Izaiyoi. Oh, she had a pretty enough face for a human, but nothing could ever compare to the beauty of _Hanabata-sama_. Izaiyoi was simply a notch in _Inutaishou-sama's_ bed at the time, but when he found out she was pregnant with his child, he took responsibility as a father and, well, I'm sure you can guess what happened next..."

Jesira could hear Sesshoumaru mumbling incoherently, a few words coming out clearly in his sleep. She nuzzled his face with hers gently, her sisterly instincts coming through prominently. "When did _Inutaishou-sama_ die?"

"Two hundred years ago," said Okassan as she prepared and wrapped an herbal pack to put on Sesshoumaru's wounds. "He died the night that Inuyasha was born."

She blinked.

"Oh, don't look so surprised. You didn't think that Sesshoumaru could be _that_ jealous. Jealousy only fed fuel to the fire. _Sesshoumaru-sama_ is so angry because, mostly, he blames Inuyasha and his mother for his father's death." She nodded pointedly with red eyes to the middle of the room. "It was over there wher _Inutaishou-sama_ first told _Sesshoumaru-sama_ of the human woman who would be his Step Mother, and of his baby _hanyou_ half-brother."

Jesira looked over, feeling the jewels pulse in time with each other. Spectres seemed to shimmer in the dappled light through the screens. They didn't just appear with the blink of an eye, but more slowly, seamlessly. The muffled sounds of their voices came first, and then--with the light--she could see a young Sesshoumaru, his hair only as long as hers was, his demon markings bright red as if they were still fresh, his eyes a brilliant gold that was free of his usual anger and angst.

_"...Izaiyoi...Sesshoumaru...new baby brother..."_ was the broken speech of the spectre of the tall and powerful demon that must have been Sesshoumaru's father.

Sesshoumaru's eyes went wide, his mouth slightly agape. _"How...? ...This...impossible for a demon... How could you!"_Their speech became clearer as the vision became stronger. Was she peering into Sesshoumaru's memory? Was this the deep connection of the jewel that Grandmother had spoken of? They could share memories? Perhaps even thoughts?

_"The human woman's name is Izaiyoi. She's going to be my new mate, Sesshoumaru--"_

_"My Mother is your mate!"_

_"Your mother is _dead

Sesshoumaru took a step back, his face shocked, hurt, angry.The spectre seemed to disintegrate as it ran out of the room in rageful growls, as did the spetre of his father, who stood silently and shook his head at himself. She blinked, realizing where she was by the sound of Sesshoumaru's--ahem--dreams.

She sighed. "How old was Sesshoumaru when all of this happened?"

Okassan dabbed the cloths at the scratchmarks upon his chest and packed and bandaged them with the herbs, dismissing Kari and Rin to let Sesshoumaru rest. "_Sesshoumaru-sama_ was a little older than 318 when this happened. It is signifigant because it is when a Demon Lord's mate is chosen, if he is not already married. _Inutaishou-sama_ was just 300 when he chose his mate. _Inutaishou-sama's_ mate _Hanabata-hime_--however--was the youngest daughter of a powerful Moon Demon, and she was your age when she was mated to my lord.

Jesira sighed and looked down at Sesshoumaru, who was mumbling things in his sleep, his face flushed with blood. "What's he saying?" Jesira asked.

Okassan shrugged. "How should I know? All I know is that he's talked in his sleep since he was a child."  
She rose an eyebrow in question as he nuzzled closer to her. "Oh God, oh God, oh God...!" He buried his face in the curve of her neck. "Nyyyeeeeeck!" she shrieked as quietly as she could. "What is he doing? Is he trying to breastfeed me or what!" said Jesira in an angry whisper.

Okassan rose. "Well, that's it for packing his wounds. Now we wait." She walked around Sesshoumaru and out of the room.

"What!" She gulped as Sesshoumaru began to nuzzle her neck, making gentle growling sounds. Jesira lowered her voice to a desperate whisper. "What are you DOING! Are you seriously going to leave me here with HIM? L-Like...THIS!"

Okassan smiled. "I doubt he'd want _me_ to stay, _Jesira-sama._ _Ikkemasu_!" With a cheerful smile she shut the screen.

"Hey! Wait! What am I supposed to do!"

"Try stuffing pillows in your kimono!" shouted Saiyuri in response.

She groaned. "First Naraku and now you! Oh, geez Sesshoumaru..." Jesira tried to wiggle away, but Sesshoumaru held fast to her hand.

"Wait..." he whispered in his fevered sleep.

"Sesshoumaru?"

His breathing tickled against her neck. "Please..." he moaned.

Jesira shuddered. "Oh, God, Sesshoumaru--don't do this..!" she whispered. "I know this isn't your fault and all, but I really--hey, easy!--oh, if I could just get over to the-- sniff Wow, you smell really good-- No! No!" She bit her own lip as hard as she could. "Ouch!" she whispered. "What'd I do that for...? Ugh, okay, concentrate, Jesi... Uh...okay...un-sexy thoughts...baseball...the Mets... ...Sesshoumaru's pants fall down a little--d'oh! No, no..." She rattled off the thoughts in her head. "Sandwiches...plates... ...Pastrami...uh, meatballs--oh, good God, no!" She shook her head as Sesshoumaru nuzzled closer, growling contentedly in her ear. "Oh God...! Mike Meyers naked on a cold night!" she shouted to herself. "Mike Meyers naked on a cold night!"

Sesshoumaru opened his mouth to kiss her neck, but suddenly jerked away and shuddered. When Jesira looked down, she saw that his knuckles were white from gripping the sheets and pelts. She sighed, feeling a deep pang in her heart for him. He couldn't help how he felt--in fact, he hated it! If only she could help him get through it. Sesshoumaru had poisoned himself so he could be sick and keep his mind off of the Heat. Perhaps if Jesira could get him to sleep, he could rest through it.

As gently as she could, Jesira laid herself next to him on the pelts and began singing softly in his ear--the same song from "Wicked" that he'd fallen asleep to in the forest that day.

_"Hands touch, eyes meet,_

_Sudden silence, sudden heat;_

_Hearts leap in a giddy whirl..."_

Within moments, Sesshoumaru was sound asleep. Jesira sighed in releif and looked down on him. He looked so cute when he was asleep! She stood and tiptoed to the door.

"Jesira..." he mumbled in his sleep. He was dreaming about her?

"Sesshoumaru?"

"_Go...gomenesai..._" he breathed. "For not taking you home...like I promised..."

"Shhhhh, I forgive you." She slipped quietly out of the room and into the hall with all the other maids and servants, who were still painted dark and fat with pillows. They all gasped and murmured in amazement--Jesira had resisted _Sesshoumaru-sama_! She sighed and hugged Rin. "You hungry?"

Jaken came bounding through the hall. "Out of my way, wenches! Out of my way! I must see _Sesshoumaru-sama_!"

"No way, Jaken," said Jesira, holding herself in front of the screen. "Sesshoumaru's pretty sick, so nobody goes in--especially not the girls."

"You insolent wench! How dare you order me around!"

"SHHHHH!" hissed Jesira and all the girls, including Rin.

"Master Jaken, _Sesshoumaru-sama_ is resting. Can't you guard the castle or stand guard outside his room?"

"ahem! All right, you wenches, out of the way! Nobody disturbs _Sesshoumaru-sama_ unless its to bring him food! Back to work! Back to work!" All the girls bowed and rushed off to do their normal chores. Jaken was Sesshoumaru's head servant, so he must be obeyed. Jesira bend and kissed Jaken on the forehead.

"Thank you," she whispered with a wink.

Jaken went all red. "Augh! A human kiss! GAUUUGH!" he shouted, quickly quieting himself when all the girls went "SHHH!" again.

An hour or two later, Jesira and Rin were eating in the great hall of the mansion. Strange foods that seemed vaguely familiar were lain out in front of her--it reminded her of the Spirit food from Spirited Away. Chickens with four wings, funny-looking stuffed sausages, steamed rice and sacks that looked like sea creatures. This was demon food?

She and Rin ate together, quietly at first, then greedily as the food was so delicious. Jesira had _never_ tasted anything like this. The meat was tender, the fish was flavourful and fresh, the rice was steamed to perfection! Rin told her how she and Sesshoumaru met, and Jesira nodded in agreement.

"Would you eat human food after you've had stuff like this all your life?"

Rin shook her head. "_Sesshoumaru-sama_ is so lucky."

The young Geisha nodded and took a sip of the Sake of the Seven Sages--it tasted so good!

"_Jesira-sama_, what are we going to do about _Sesshoumaru-sama? _Shouldn't we watch him?"

She thought for a moment, taking a swig of miso soup. "Well, he's conked out something fierce right now... Tell you what, you go ahead and check up on him during the day, and I'll stay with him at night in case he wakes up?" This was a good plan. With Sesshoumaru in Heat, Jesira wanted to make sure she could sing him back to sleep. Daylight seemed to be when he could more easily control himself. At night, however, that was probably a whole different story, according to what had happened with his father and Inuyasha's mother.

As the afternoon drifted by, Jesira began to wonder about her family. Daddy, Mama, Grandmother, Waverly...they must all be so worried. They probably thought Jesira to be dead--and to let one believe one is dead when one isn't is a cruel thing to do. She sighed and leaned her cheek upon her hand. "I hope they aren't worried about me... I wish that I could let them know I'm okay--that I'm safe here with Sesshoumaru. Well, as safe as feudal Japan can be, anyway..." She leaned against a column as she looked out from the corridor into the gardens. "I'm so lonely here... Not lonely, homesick..." She sighed, sniffling back a tear. "I wanna go home..."

The spectres of her family suddenly appeared before her, all of them gathered in the living room. Daddy and Mama were sitting on the couch, holding each other's hands. Daddy was still in his business suit for the day, his black hair still gelled back; he hadn't even removed his glasses. Mama was holding Waverly to her, trying to smile through her pink lipstick. Mama always had flowery shirts on, whether it be print or color, it had to have flowers. She seemed to be obsessed with the perfect wife bit, even though she was a blond bombshell real estate dealer. Grandmother was standing, explaining something about the jewel... Only...she didn't call it the Shikkon no tama...she called it the Nikkon no tama! Two souls?

"I promise you, Jesira-chan is safe and alive," said Grandmother in her heavy Japanese accent.

"Mom, how can we be sure? She could be dead in a ditch somewhere!" shrieked Mama. "This is worse than dying..." She doubled over and started to cry. Waverly backed up, her hair in whimsical pigtails. "I want my baby back..."

"_Chichi! Haha! Sobo! Imooto!_" Jesira shouted. They all looked up and stared in horror in Jesira's direction. She ran forward into the garden. "Can you see me? _Mushi-mushi_! Please don't cry! I'm all right! I'm safe here!" The vision grew blurry as the figures called out her name. "_Iie_! Wait! Don't leave me--Waverly! Your birthday present is in my closet! Please don't worry about me," she said. "I promise I'll do what I can to get home soon. I'm okay, though, Sesshoumaru--"

The visions vanished, yet their voices remained. Jesira then realized she had been shouting in Japanese the entire time. It was odd, because she'd never called Mama '_Haha_' before, and seldomly called Daddy '_Chichi_.' She hoped that they would be able to understand her, especially if her Japanese had been broken.

Jesira dropped to her knees, her wonderful silks fanning out in the midst of the flower field she'd run to, tears running silently down her cheeks. Her heart was in torment--she wanted to go home, and yet she wanted to stay here and make sure Sesshoumaru was all right. As strange as it sounded, she couldn't bare to leave him without at least saying goodbye. If there was one thing Jesira was, it was loyal.

* * *

Sesshoumaru gently opened his eyes to the full moon that bathed his entire bedroom in light. He sat up, removing his bandages to find that his wounds were healed, his Heat nearly gone. The sound of another steady heartbeat in the room made him turn to see that Jesira was sleeping next to his bed, her hair fanned out behind her. She was so beautiful, so poetic...everything about her seemed to make Sesshoumaru want to sing.

Slowly, he reached with a clawed hand and stroked her hair back. She seemed different, like she smelled different... Ah, Sesshoumaru thought, she has eaten Demon food. Perhaps that has gotten rid of her human scent? He breathed in. She smells much better, now...even though she smelled nice before. More than anything, Sesshoumaru wanted to lean in and give her a kiss in spite of himself, in spite of his birth and blood. Slowly, however, it seemed to slip away--the awareness that she was a human and not a demon like him. He stroked her hair again, his claws running through the thick waves and flips of her layered black hair. Was it the jewel that had connected them so? Was the Heat still here? Or were these feelings genuine? How could he tell?

"Sesshoumaru?" Jesira sat up, clutching her kimono tight. "Are you...?"

He gave a curt shake of his head. "I'm fine now."

"I didn't wake you, did I?"

"No."

She blinked. "You took off your bandages?"

"Demons do not need bandages."

She leaned back slightly. "I wouldn't brag if I were you. If I were you, though, I probably wouldn't have poisoned myself... You were pretty sick, you know. You've been out for a couple of days. I was really worried about you!"

He raised an eyebrow in question. "You mean _you_ were worried about me?" He gave a semi-arrogant scoff. "You shouldn't waste your sentiment upon me. I have no need for it."

Jesira sighed, smiling slightly. "Well, I'm glad you're okay. Rin and I have been taking turns looking after you, she taking the days, I taking the nights..." She laughed under her breath. "Did you know you talk in your sleep?"

Sesshoumaru glanced away. "You tended to me while I was ill, did you?"

"Yes, Rin and I did."

"...I see..."

"...You want me to go?"

He shrugged. "I don't care."

She smiled. "Then I'll stay until you fall asleep."

A beat. "I know I never told you...but I wanted you here because I knew that Naraku would want your jewel shards. I was using you as a lure--it was an underhanded trick that I should have never pulled. Usually, I would never use others as bait to get what I want, and for using you like that, I am sorry." All of this was said without any eye contact or emotion. His speech was formal and polite as usual.

The young geisha blinked. "You mean...Naraku was right about you?"

He nodded. "I'm sorry." Sesshoumaru looked to her. "May I make it up to you by helping you find your way home, like you wanted me to?"

She smiled, moonlight illuminating her face. "You'd do that?"

He nodded again. "On my honor as a demon lord, you have my word."

Jesira beamed, her entire face lighting up with the prettiest shade of pink. "_Arigato!_" she cried, throwing herself into Sesshoumaru's arms. "You can't imagine how painful it is to think your family thinks you're dead or worse when you're not..."

Sesshoumaru wrapped his arms around her, rubbing her back gently. "I promise to get you home soon."

The dog lord sighed inwardly as Jesira held him closer. It didn't hurt, as his wounds had healed fairly quickly--which was an impressive thing because even Sesshoumaru himself was not immune to his own deadly poison. He could feel Jesira's heart beating against him, in time with Tenseiga's pulsing by the bed.

'Tenseiga,' he thought, 'you once compelled me to save a human life...and now you compell me to aid this geisha in her quest for family. Is it you or my own honor that I'm doing this for? Maybe...maybe it's both...maybe...'

Sesshoumaru's heart began to ache. He was surprised at the feeling; of all hearts in the known world, Sesshoumaru's was always the calmest. Through dangers untold of, Sesshoumaru was a king of calmness--his heart always steady. Strange, though, that the human's touch could make it feel like it was collapsing inside his chest. Even stranger though, he secretly wanted more.

* * *

EEEEEEEEEEEE! Uber-kawaii-ness in da house!

Is the ice-king Sesshoumaru falling for Jesira? What will happen when he must fulfill his promise to her? Will he be lonely, or sink back into his old routine again?

What of Inuyasha? What of Kagome? What of...eh, just what of? Find out on the next "No One Mourns the Wicked!" Seeya soon! mwah! heart


End file.
